Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Thursday - August 21, 2014
From: Rimouski, QC
Region: Select Region
Topic: Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Native Grasses for Quebec
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
I saw an article in the Martha Stewart magazine on native grasses. I live in Canada in Rimouski, in the province of Quebec. I am wondering if native grasses would grow here in the region? Our hardiness zone is 3a. Thanks for looking into it and giving me some information on which plant would be good for us. There are strong winds and a cold winter here too.ANSWER:
It is great that Martha Stewart encourages the use of native grasses. Unfortunately Mr. Smarty Plants has been out in the garden so much lately that he doesn’t have a recent copy of her magazine handy to see which native grass plants Martha might have recommended. So, Mr. Smarty Plants suggests a look online at the Gardens North catalog (www.gardensnorth.com). Gardens North are based in Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia (previously they were in the Ottawa Valley). They have several native grasses (and grass-like plants) that are hardy to zone 3 and native to Quebec, such as Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem), Deschampsia cespitosa (tufted hairgrass), Festuca brachyphylla (alpine fescue), Festuca saximontana (Rocky mountain fescue), Patis racemosa (black-seeded rice grass), Panicum virgatum (switch grass), Schizachyrium scoparium (little blue stem), Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass), Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie drop seed).
Another place to go to find a list of native grasses is our Native Plant Database. Use the Combination Search feature instead of Recommended Species. This will provide a bigger selection with much more choice to narrow down. The volunteers and staff at the Wildflower Center who maintain the database have partners in different regions to help with these recommended species lists based on what is easy to access in local nurseries.
Under Combination Search, select the following categories: QC, Habit – Grass, Duration – Perennial. There is an overwhelming number of native grassess (and grass-like plants) beyond what has been linked above to investigate. Good luck investigating grasses for your garden.
From the Image Gallery
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Grass for a Miniature Garden
July 18, 2013 - Please let me know what kind of grass is nice and short and tight for a miniature garden in a wooden box. I want to grow this grass in the box and I also want to know if I need to drill holes in the b...
view the full question and answer
Native plants for landscaping backyard in Central Texas
January 02, 2008 - We are starting from scratch in our backyard (approx. 200'x60')in Central Texas (Cedar Park). The yard faces West. What do you recommend for plants, trees, shrubs and grass that are native and will ...
view the full question and answer
User comment on native grass mixes from Robstown TX
March 21, 2014 - As a followup to my question on seed spreaders, native grass and prairie seed mixes seem a good fit for my location in far western Nueces County which is more semi-arrid than 30 miles away in Corpus w...
view the full question and answer
Need landscape suggestions for area exposed after last flood on Black Creek in Forrest County. MS
September 18, 2009 - We live on the Black Creek in Mississippi. After the last flood, we now have a steep sandy slope which is unmowable, and incredibly weedy. We want to remove the unsightly weeds- kill if necessary, and...
view the full question and answer
Illinois native grasses for shade
June 27, 2013 - Hello, my grass has died in a very shady area (standard buffalo grass), and I took this as an opportunity to plant some native grass varieties. I originally thought of buffalo grass, but learned that ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |