Compiled by Andrea Williams, Jim Hanson, and Laura Lovett of CNPS, with assistance from Reimagining the California Lawn by Bornstein, Fross and O’Brien.
There is a place for native grasses in the home landscape. Like other vegetation, they need to be planted away from the immediate 2–5′ perimeter of the house and maintained by mowing at an appropriate height. Both the height of mowing and the timing of it are key to encouraging the native perennial grasses and discouraging annual weedy grasses.
Perennial grasses have greater capacity to stabilize surface and sub-soils once established, they hold nutrients more tightly and recycle them more efficiently than annuals, they are less flammable than alien annuals, and they help to build soil organic matter, thereby increasing site fertility and sustained productivity. Perennial grasses are slower than many annuals in establishing themselves, growing soil-stabilizing root systems, and providing general soil protection. Therefore, regular weeding is necessary to keep competing annual grasses and weeds from shading out new seedlings until they get established.
Suggested Bunchgrasses to Use in Mixed Beds with Perennials
These perennial grasses stay green long into the summer on little or no water, where annuals will dry and cure usually by June. They are deep-rooted and adapted to local conditions, particularly purple needlegrass, and provide interest in the garden when mixed among flowering perennials. Deer do not eat grass, however, they may nibble on the perennials planted among them. Judicious siting of the grasses can help provide protection to plants favored by deer.
California fescue (Festuca californica) California fescue is a native, cool season perennial bunchgrass that is intermediate to long lived. A tall grass, 2–4 feet, with thick, chalky, blue-to-green foliage, it often persists with evergreen foliage throughout the year in milder environments. Tight clumps and a non-aggressive growth habit make it compatible with perennial forbs. California fescue plants become hardy at a young age and, once established, are tough survivors. Adapted to a variety of conditions, the species tolerates sun to intermediate shade and semi-drought, as well as moist soil along stream banks. However, it is most frequently found in the dappled shade, along the borders of woods, and on north facing slopes. Fall planting when soil temperatures are cooler is recommended.
Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) Deer grass is a 3 foot evergreen perennial with 2 foot plumes rising above the plant. It is fast growing, normally reaching mature size in a season or two. Excellent as a specimen plant or to add size and drama to a perennial bed. Plant in full sun to light shade. It will survive on no summer water but looks better if given a monthly deep soak. Performs well in clay soils. The extensive root system makes it excellent for soil stabilization. Remove the old leaves with a rake to keep it looking clean and to reduce fire hazard. It should only occasionally be cut back hard; usually a fall raking provides sufficient maintenance.
Idaho Fescue (Festuca idahoensis) Idaho Fescue or blue bunchgrass is native to western North America. It can be found in many ecosystems, from shady forests to open plains grasslands. This fescue is a densely clumping, long-lived perennial grass creating a distinctive rounded mound about 1.5–2 ft. in height. Idaho Fescue is good for a garden in cool summer areas, but also grows in hot summer areas with higher rainfall. Idaho Fescue likes full or part sun with fast-draining soil and low irrigation.
- Festuca idahoensis ‘Siskiyou Blue’
This hybrid of the native Idaho Fescue is notable for its enticing spruce-blue foliage. The thin leaves are much longer than the more familiar Festuca glauca, giving ‘Siskiyou Blue’ a softer, more graceful look. It doesn’t last long if you overwater.
- Festuca idahoensis ‘Tomales Bay’
This selection, discovered in Marin County, tolerates any sun exposure in coast sites, but requires part shade or shade inland. The foliage is bluer-green than the straight species and tolerates garden water better. Makes a compact dome about 18” high. Cut back in early spring.
Indian Ricegrass (Stipa hymenoides) Indian ricegrass is a perennial cereal grain native to the drier parts of Western North America. It typically grows up to 2 feet tall and a foot wide and spreads from seed, not vegetatively. It can live in sand to clay, but it does particularly well in sandy soils, and is an excellent choice for soil stabilization. Indian Ricegrass has strong ornamental qualities. The branching, wavy flower stalk and seed pods are so unique that it’s often used in flower arrangements. It’s a perfect plant for dryland gardens or drought-restricted areas and grows beautifully with other native grasses like wildrye and slender hairgrass, or alongside native wildflowers. The seeds are an important food for wildlife.
Leafy Reedgrass (Calamagrostis foliosa) This is a beautiful native grass of a very useful size and form for the landscape. It grows a foot tall by 18 inches wide in a beautiful arching mound that never needs cutting. The blue-grey blades and are topped in spring with impressive quantities of purplish feathery panicles that turn tawny with age. Quite low water in coastal habitats, it will require some shade and additional water in warmer interior sites. A very useful, undemanding and hearty accent plant that will be equally striking as a specimen or en masse.
Pacific Reedgrass (Calamagrostis nutkaensis ‘The King’) A large, handsome, evergreen, native bunchgrass that was sourced from the King Range on the North Coast, Pacific reedgrass is a unique component of coastal habitats. It has big, bold, strappy green foliage and a robust clumping form 3–4 ft. tall and equally wide. Purplish panicles (flower spikes) up to ten inches long rise a foot or two above the foliage. A good accent plant where you want some drama or need something larger. Best for woodland or partly shaded meadow, but will take full sun in somewhat cooler areas and needs to be irrigated as it looks poor without it. It is valuable for controlling soil erosion, and is capable of persisting even with the encroachment of eucalyptus and invasive grasses.
Purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) Purple needlegrass is a densely tufted, long-lived, upright perennial bunchgrass that is easy to grow and its deep roots help increase soil moisture and infiltration. Plants generally get 2–3 feet tall with airy purplish seed heads. They become dormant after seed production, but begin growth again with fall rain and will green up after summer dormancy even without the presence of precipitation. The species grows well in full sun as well as partial shade and is tolerant of extreme summer heat and drought. Young needlegrass seedlings grow at a much slower rate than most weeds. Without maintenance attention while seedlings are getting started, weeds can easily outcompete the new needlegrass seedlings for sunlight and dramatically impact establishment. However, once it’s happy it will seed around vigorously.
Nodding needlegrass (Stipa cernua) The panicles of thin, fine, nodding awns have a silky look and appear purplish, then dry to silver. They glimmer when backlit. The grass is fast growing and moderately long-lived. This plant works in small patches in gardens, with all soil types, and little or no water. Use it in rock gardens, rock walls, cactus gardens, or dryland perennial gardens. It prefers full sun and well-drained soils but will tolerate light shade, and has proven adaptable.
Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa) Hairgrass has an attractive mounding habit and is famous for its airy plumes in shades of gold and silver, getting its name from the fine, hairlike flowers. They emerge green and then turn gold, forming glowing clouds about 3 feet above the base. A native to damp woods, bogs, and streamsides, tufted hairgrass prefers a cool spot in partial shade. Unlike most of our native grasses, tufted hairgrass requires summer water to thrive. If you have a moist spot, in sun or light shade, it will reward you with delicate tawny golden seed heads in late summer and graceful, bright green foliage the rest of the year.
Native Grasses Recommended for Use in Lawns
Cool season grasses are green in the spring and all through the fall when temperatures are around 65-75°F. Cool season grasses will require more water to stay green in a hot summer as it is their normal dormant period. However, they will thrive better if given a chance for some dormancy. Cool season grasses should be planted in the fall.
Warm season grasses will green up as summer temperatures go up, but go dormant and turn brown in areas with a cold winter. These grasses should be planted in the spring.
Warm season grasses flower and produce seed at the end of their summer growing season, while cool season species are productive in the spring and fall when temperatures are cooler and will flower late in each season.
The maintenance of California Native Sod varies depending on the variety you choose and your desired aesthetic. Each of the native sod offerings can be mowed or left nonmowed. Garden pathways and designated play meadows can be mowed into the grass area to allow foot traffic and greater accessibility throughout the landscape. It is best to determine the desired aesthetic and remain consistent with the maintenance program to maintain the look you prefer. Important features of these grasses are:
- California Native Sod installed to provide a conventional lawn aesthetic will require weekly consistent mowing.
- Non-mowed grass areas will produce a seed head in the spring. This is often mistaken as a weed invasion. If desired, the seed heads can be cut off with a string trimmer. Left alone, these beautiful flowers of the grass blow in the wind providing a seasonal splendor for which California is famous. Summer heat will turn the seed heads golden brown, causing them eventually to cascade over and mulch into the green grass below.
- Should you which to convert a non-mowed area to mowed, it is important that the area be cut back gradually. You should never remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade during cutting. When these grasses reach full maturity, they fall over on themselves and shade out areas below. Cutting the grass will reveal these areas and may be unsightly. Well timed mowing in the early spring will ensure that these grasses recover and fill in the open spaces.
Native or California bentgrass (Agrostis pallens) Agrostis pallens is the best choice as a local, irrigated, true lawn substitute. If people really want a spot they can walk or picnic on that looks and acts and needs maintenance like a real lawn, bentgrass is the ticket. It is one of the leading cool season native lawn species throughout California, being incredibly durable and able to withstand heavy traffic and low mowing heights. Native bentgrass thrives in both full sun and partial shade and is extremely drought tolerant. Left unmowed to flop, it creates the look of a natural, informal meadow.
Red fescue (Festuca rubra) Red fescue is a popular native lawn species with several regional varieties that can range from turf to ornamental use. A cool season native that thrives in partial shade, it’s also wear-resistant enough to withstand heavy foot traffic and recreational play. You can leave it unmown in cool months and mow to 4” during summer fire season. Height to 2.5 ft., blooms May-June and then is summer dormant. Expect it to spread quickly if it has water.
- Festuca rubra, Molate strain Found on Point Molate near Richmond, this selection spreads to form soft, flowing drifts of gray-green foliage 12–18 inches tall. Plant in full sun to light shade. Very choice for a meadow or parking strip. Prefers some afternoon shade in the hotter climates and occasional water away from the coast. More drought tolerant than many other red fescues, but will need summer water to stay green.
- Festuca rubra ‘Patrick’s Point’ Discovered on a rock at Patrick’s Point on our north coast, this 1 ft. clumping perennial grass slowly spreads by creeping rhizomes to form tufted drifts of silvery blue. Effective as a smallscale groundcover. Typically at its best in situations where it is either unmown or infrequently mown. Plant in full sun to light shade. Protect from the hot afternoon sun in inland areas. Will need irrigation to stay green through the summer.
Clustered field sedge (Carex praegracilis)
Dune sedge (Carex pansa) Sedges require more water than grasses, but they are evergreen and generally more shade tolerant. Both of these are short, green sedges growing to 6-8 inches tall and spreading by rhizomes to form a carpet that tolerates moderate foot traffic. Both can be used as a solid ground cover, between and around steppingstones, or with perennials and grasses to create a natural meadow look. If left to grow they have a lush, tousled appearance or they can be trimmed into a flat green lawn. Takes full sun to partial shade but without summer water it will turn varying shades of tan and brown.
Lippia (Phyla nodiflora) Lippia is a low perennial that can work as a lawn substitute. It’s nice but less springy underfoot and it doesn’t tolerate regular foot traffic—it’s more of a visual substitute for a lawn rather than a surface to use actively. It becomes semi-deciduous and dormant under winter conditions. Lippia grows rapidly during the spring and is covered with numerous small purple and white flowers, which are highly attractive to bees. It needs supplemental water to stay green and can be mowed as low as 1 inch.
Seed Mixtures Many lawns are often a mix of several species to provide the color and growth habits that are desirable as well as the seasonal stability that polycultures can offer. Many companies make mixes of native grasses that combine the qualities of different plants for use as lawns, or in meadows or swales. Delta Bluegrass Co. in Stockton has numerous options including the Native Mow Free blend that uses a trio of grasses: Festuca idahoensis (Idaho fescue), Festuca rubra (Molate fescue) and Festuca occidentalis. It is very shade and cold tolerant, and requires little mowing. The Huntington Library has Mow Free now installed in all new construction. www.deltabluegrass.com
Maintenance
All grasses need some maintenance and for those that get cut back, the timing and height of shearing is important. When planting a mixed bed from scratch, for the first summer mow the vegetation back to 6” high each time it gets to 12”. A string trimmer will cause the least damage. This will push the perennials to create a strong root system while preventing the annual grasses that move in from setting seed. Weed diligently.
Spring Shearing to reduce annuals and weeds. If you have an excess of unwanted annuals, esp. annual grasses, showing up in your garden bed, mow everything to about 4–6” in height after food reserves have moved into the seedheads of the annuals but before the large seeds are viable, usually about April. Avoid the green forbs (perennials) and the base of perennial grasses that are sprouting. The idea is to remove only the seed heads of the annuals so they don’t reseed. A string trimmer or a pair of hedge clippers works well, or use an electric hedge trimmer if you really have a lot to do.
Many gardeners plant native grasses in drifts interspersed with common grassland flowering forbs and annuals, such as gum plant (Grindelia sp.), California aster cultivars (Symphyotrichum chilense), pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), buckwheats (Eriogonum), and Clarkias. Complete a second trimming after these types of perennials have bloomed but before new growth starts with winter rains.
Fall Shearing to provide space and light for new seedlings. Many perennial grasses tend to seed and turn straw-colored by June, but the remaining seed stalks (or inflorescences) continue to sway in the summer breeze. The second trimming—this time of perennials and bunchgrasses—can be done in July if you are concerned about fire, or in the fall to clean up everything for winter. If you want to leave the seed heads over the winter, you can do cleanup in mid to late winter. Trim back perennials that need reshaping, and cut warm season bunchgrasses to 4-6” high, being careful to avoid damaging the crowns. This readies the garden for regrowth in the spring.
