   Landscaping with Drought Adapted Grasses - October 9, 2002 Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County Verde River Days was lots of fun and the public was very interested in the low water use (xeriscape) plants we featured in the Cooperative Extension booth. Real plants, on loan from Clarkdale nursery, Arizona Botanical Gardens, a Clarkdale nursery, truly enhanced the display. I was enthused by the number of visitors attracted to the plant materials. Xeriscape really is more than just cactus and gravel. So, given this bit of inspiration, lets explore a few ornamental grasses that can be used in low water use landscape. Before I espouse the virtues of "good" ornamental grasses, I feel the need to issue a warning: do not plant pampas grass (Cortaderia jubata) or giant reed (Arundo donax). These two grasses are invasive (reseed and naturalize in wildlands) and can be a fire hazard. Given the variety of native and non-invasive grasses available, there are many superior choices. Grasses soften landscapes, have interesting seed heads, and can have subtle seasonal color changes. Most ornamental grasses should not be mowed close to the ground, but rather clipped off once a year in the dormant season to rejuvenate growth. Some of the larger grasses can grow to six feet or more. These create dramatic effects when backlit by the sun. Grasses also undulate in the breeze and make soft, rustling noises that have a soothing effect. Many of our native Verde Valley grasses make excellent ornamentals. Some of these are purple three awn (Aristida purpurea), Sideoats grama (Boueloua curtipendula), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), and tobosa (Pleuraphis mutica). If you have these in your yard, they can be transplanted and/or divided if they are large enough. After cutting back, lay the seed heads and litter on the soil where they can reseed. Blue grama is one of my favorites because to seed heads look like little feathers. My lawn is blue grama and I only irrigate it three or four times per year and never have mowed it. Mountain States Wholesale Nursery and others grow many grasses (and other plants) that are native to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico. Many are ideally suited to the Verde Valley and available at local nurseries. Briefly, I'll describe some of these grasses. One of the showiest grasses is Muhlenbergia capillaris Regal Mist. This grass forms a clump 2-3 feet tall and forms deep pink seed heads in the fall. The seed heads are one foot higher than the grass and are very striking. It thrives in full sun, but tolerates partial shade. It does require some irrigation to look its best during summer. It is hardy to 0 degrees F. Bamboo muhly (Muhlenbergia dumosa) looks like a miniature bamboo plant (it totally stumped me the first time I saw it in the wild). It spreads slowly from underground rhizomes eventually forming a 4-5 foot clump. The flowers are insignificant. It is hardy to 10 degrees F. Deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) is can be found in our local mountains, handles any soil, and thrives in either full sun or partial shade. It has gray green foliage, reaches 4-5 feet in height, and blooms in slender spikes during fall. It is hardy to 0 degrees F. Alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides) has been used extensively for reclamation projects, but has excellent potential as an ornamental. It gets 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide, has wide leaves, and produces a rosy flower spike. It tolerates salty soils and is native to the Verde Valley. It is hardy to -20 degrees F. Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima) is a close relative of our local needle and thread grass (Stipa comata). This grass is 18-24 inches tall and has very delicate and weeping foliage. It will do best in partial shade in the Verde Valley. It is hardy to -10 degrees F. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension has publications and information on gardening and pest control. If you have other gardening questions, call the Master Gardener line in the Cottonwood office at 646-9113 or E-mail us at mgardener@verdeonline.com and be sure to include your address and phone number. Find past Backyard Gardener columns or submit column ideas at the Backyard Gardener web site: http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/. |