Grasses tend to be overlooked in the drought-tolerant landscape. Broad-leaved trees, shrubs and perennials with colorful flowers get far more attention. However, grasses make desirable dry garden subjects. For most of the season, grasses provide low-care structural elements and reliable color. Flowers appear, usually in fall, held atop stalks of varying lengths. While they don't have petals, the specialized grass flower structures and resulting seed heads can be showy and attention-getting. Grasses are monocots, with a single seed leaf when they germinate. Leaves can be short, stiff and narrow to long and graceful. Some of the best candidates for xeriscapes are grasses native to the United States.
Deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) is native to the Southwest and Mexico. It grows 3 to 6 feet tall and is reliably hardy from U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 7 through 9, and with protection, perhaps in zone 6. Deer grass forms a large clump of dense leaves that are 2 to 4 feet tall. Flower stalks rise to 6 feet in fall, and are purple or yellow due to the colored stamens. Its relative, big muhly, also called Lindheimer's muhly (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri) is native to the Edwards Plateau in Texas and hardy in USDA zones 6 through 9. Leaves form a graceful, gray-green to blue-green clump. Silvery flower panicles take the height to 6 feet May through November. Big muhly approaches pampas grass in stature, but has a looser, softer texture.
One of the loveliest native flowering grasses, pink muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a show-stopper in fall when clouds of pink to purple flower stalks cover the entire plant. Leaves make a tidy, mounded clump to 2 feet tall, with flower stalks extending to 3 or 4 feet. Native to the southeastern U.S., pink muhly grows in USDA hardiness zones 7 through 11. California fescue (Festuca californica) is native to the West Coast. Fine blue-green to blue leaves create 18- to 24-inch tall mounds of leaves, with wiry stalks of airy, nodding flowers rising an additional 2 feet. California fescue prefers north-facing slopes and is a good accent for dry shady situations. It is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 10.
Blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) grows 6 to 24 inches tall and is native to the Great Plains. It is a good forage plant for native grazers and for livestock. This tough, drought-tolerant plant grows in low-maintenance areas such as golf course roughs and mine revegetation projects. "Hachita" tested high in drought-tolerance against other blue grama cultivars. In the southern part of its range, blue grama grows as a bunch grass; but in the northern part, it forms sod. Blue grama grass is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9. Purple three-awn (Aristida purpurea) grows 2 feet tall, with tidy clumps that are 6 to 12 inches wide. Airy, purple seedheads on thin stems appear in fall. This plant tolerates heat and drought, and is native to the Southwest. It grows in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 10.
For those who don't like frequent lawn maintenance, native grasses furnish a no-mow alternative. Native grasses don't stand up to foot traffic as turfgrass does, and the kinds of grasses used for lawns give a mounded rather than a carpet-like aspect, but native grasses only need mowing once or twice a year. Buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides, formerly Buchloe dactyloides) is tolerant of cold and drought, and native to American prairies in USDA zones 3 through 9. It spreads by runners and can stand some foot traffic. Introduced cultivars good for mild winter areas are "UC Verde" and "Prestige." Other lawn substitute grasses are fine fescue (Festuca species), which is usually a mix of several different fine-bladed fescues such as creeping red, chewings, sheep and hard fescue. All are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9. Blue grama is also used in native grass lawns, since it slowly forms sod over time.
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Muhlenbergia Rigens
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Muhlenbergia Lindheimeri A.S. Hitchc.
- University of Florida IFAS Extension: Muhlenbergia Capillaris Muhly Grass
- The Ameri