Blue Grama Grass: A Tough Native with Eyelash Seed Heads for Dry Gardens

I have a crush on blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis), whose feathery summer seed heads would envy any mascara commercial. Better yet, this resilient native prairie grass thrives in dry, sunny spots and solves difficult soils and areas—parking strips, rocky glades, steep slopes.

Botanical name: Bouteloua gracilis
Common name: Blue grama grass
Origin: Native west of Mississippi River, except OR, WA, LA
Hardiness: -40°F (USDA zones 3–10)
Water: Dry to medium soil
Light: Full sun to some shade
Mature size: 6–12 in. tall, 1 ft wide
Benefits: Excels in dry soils, clay to sandy to slightly rocky
Seasonal interest: Blooms early to mid-summer
When to plant: Potted/bare-root spring to early fall; seed late fall through early summer

Distinguishing traits. Handles drought, even going dormant in extreme drought to return fine. Bunch grass in south, creeps slowly northward. Larval host for many skipper butterflies.

How to use it. Often a lawn replacement. Suits front of border, low meadow-style planting among shorter perennials. In low/medium-traffic lawn, let grow tall for ornamental seed heads and soil-shading moisture conservation.

Planting notes. Potted plants after last spring frost into late summer/early fall; warm-season prairie grasses need ~1 month to root before hard freezes. Seed fall with perennials, or spring after frost. Spring sow: keep damp until germination (~1 week), then water weekly until established.