Designer Plant Picks- Prairie Dropseed

This article was first published on the blog, Gardening Gone Wild, September 23, 2009.

I just returned home from my first trip to Europe. I was drawn to Grass Days at Kwekerij Oudolf, the home and nursery of influential Dutch garden designer and plantsman, Piet Oudolf and his wife Anja. I won’t elaborate on the Oudolf’s SPECTACULAR private garden in this post. I’ll save that for a later date. Oudolf’s work inspired September’s GGW Plant Pick of The Month, Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis).

Prairie dropseed is undoubtedly one of my favorite grasses. It is a fine-textured bunchgrass, almost hair-like in appearance. Deep green leaves arch outward forming large round tufts (18″H x 24″ W). In fall, the foliage turns gold with orange tints and ultimately fades to bronze in winter.  [read more]