Grass Blast!

January 2026 Plant Availability

View our ‘currant’ inventory on our website

View our ‘currant’ inventory in spreadsheet format

Greetings ,

With a New Year comes time for new perspectives, and we’d like to use this month’s newsletter to encourage our readers to see native grasses & grasslike species anew.

Many of us drought-aware Californians have been taught a lawn is a non-native monoculture, a British colonizer, an out-of-place water guzzler. And it’s true for the most part. But it doesn’t mean grass is bad. There are many California native grasses (and grass-like plants) that fit a variety of different environments. Let’s see what’s greener on the other side.

One of the best reasons to use grasses is that they benefit wildlife. You might be thinking to yourself, I live in a very urban place with very little room so I can’t imagine I will attract very much in the way of wildlife. Not true! Even with a one or two gallon pot, you can keep many native grasses happy. Plant a few native grasses, and you’ll be providing the larval host plant of skippers (Genera including Hesperia, Hylephila, Lerodea, Ocholodes, Poanes, Polites, Pyrgus), some of our most common California native butterflies. They are easy to spot in the daytime–they often hold their forewings up making them look like fancy folded paper airplanes! Consider planting a few California Oatgrass (Danthonia californica, host to Western Branded, Columbia, and Lindsey’s Skippers) and June Grass (Koeleria macrantha, host to Columbian Skipper) or even just one of each in a large pot. Native grasses also provide great nesting material & cover for birds and small mammals, and thatch to protect overwintering caterpillars.

In fact, according to the California Native Grasslands Association (CNGA), when grasses come together to create larger grasslands, they support over 73 endangered species: 59 other plants, 14 vertebrates, 14 invertebrates, and many bacteria, lichen, fungi, and mosses.

Realizing that most of us don’t have the acreage to create a whole grassland, but might have room for a little bit more than a single pot of Junegrass, we might suggest looking at Audubon’s Plants for Birds Database and UC Wild Farm Alliance’s Beneficial Bird Native Plant Chart to learn more about which birds you can feed with your species of choice. Note the overall high marks for habitat, food, and nest material that many wetland species like Santa Barbara Sedge (Carex barbarae ) merit. If you have some moisture and some room to let it spread, this would be an excellent choice for attracting birds.

Above: Umber skipper

Right: Common Checkered Skipper

You’re thinking, though, I don’t have the right environment for a grass. Fret not, we’re here to help! With the diversity of the California Floristic Province to pull from, there are native grasses and grass-like plants for all types of planting situations. We’ve listed a few great options below, but let this be a starting point to explore the diversity of native grasses near you! Check out our Advanced Plant Finder tool or Calscape’s Advanced Search to search by garden conditions, then decide whether you’re looking for a bunching or creeping/rhizomatous species. These growth habits will lend themselves to more lumpy texture or spreading, full coverage of a planting area. For example, Thingrass is a great lawn alternative thanks to its rhizomatous/creeping growth habit, where Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens) would need to be planted quite close to provide the same coverage.

Another main factor to consider when selecting native bunch grasses is whether they are warm or cool season grasses. Warm season grasses do most of their vegetative growth during the summer, flower in mid to late summer, and go mostly dormant through winter. These grasses naturally occur in hotter places of California and do best with some summer heat. They don’t delay dormancy regardless of how much water they get or where they are grown like some cool season grasses can.

Cool season grasses are green and lush with new growth throughout our rainy, cool fall and winter months. They flower in spring to early summer, then set seed and go partially to fully dormant in mid to late summer. Some cool season grasses can stay green longer into the summer with some supplemental water.

With the ongoing drought and changing climate, it is imperative to have fire awareness and utilize strategies for reducing fire risk. One such strategy is reducing or eliminating dry vegetation during peak fire season in summer and fall, which is common among our summer-dormant cool season grasses. Watering (even once or twice a month) through this dry season can extend the greenery a bit. In addition, most of these species can be cut down within a few inches while dormant. Raking can also be an effective method of removing dead plant material and renewing growth of native bunch grasses to make them more fire safe. These strategies mimic the effects of fire and grazing that occurs in our natural grasslands, leading to healthier plants as a result!

There’s much more to learn (and love) about our native grasses and grass-like plants–stay tuned to the end of the newsletter for some great resources to better acquaint you. There’s many more to get to know beyond what we had space for here, so be sure to take a look at our inventory list for more ideas. Happy planting, and have a very happy (grassy) new year!

California Fescue

Festuca californica

Available in Stub containers for $2.60 apiece!

This perennial evergreen bunch grass grows 2-4′ tall and 2-3′ wide. An easy to grow cool season grass, it is an excellent choice as a groundcover for slopes among oaks, California bays, or pines. Space 2’ apart.
A truly beautiful, mid-sized bunch grass. The graceful, fountain-like, blue-green foliage grows 2’ tall. The showy flower stalks rise another 2’ above the foliage.
Cut back annually to renovate, and groom plants with a stiff rake to remove old foliage and freshen appearance.
Drought tolerant, though it looks better with some summer water. Tolerates serpentine soil, and is deer resistant once established.
Great option for a lawn alternative, erosion control on shady slopes, and as a feathery understory of a woodland garden. A wonderful statement grass!

Above photo credit: Danthonia meadow of Jennifer Mathers, Four Dimensions Landscape Cooperative

California Oatgrass

Danthonia californica

Available in stub, SC, and 1-gallon containers for $2.60-15.25 apiece!

California oatgrass is a clumping nearly evergreen native perennial cool season bunch grass with a dense tuft of short flattened green leaves. Roots reach >6′ deep. It has a 1′ tall, mounding habit.
A keystone species of California coastal prairie, one of the most threatened ecosystems in the state. California Oatgrass can be found growing with other prairie bunchgrasses such as Idaho Fescue & Tufted Hairgrass.
Oatgrass evolved hidden self-fertilized seeds in their stems (cleistogamous seeds)! This trait comes in handy under grazing pressure–even if their seedheads are eaten, there may be a few seeds remaining below to disperse!
Use as a mowed lawn, meadow, or textural accent in the garden. An excellent choice for habitat, this tough plant is a larval host plant to 3 skipper butterfly species, as well as forage for herbivores and songbirds.

Oniongrass

Melica bulbosa

Available in stub containers for $2.60 apiece!

A locally rare perennial grass that grows 1 to 2 1/2 feet tall. It has bulbous-based stems clustered on short rhizomes that gives it its name. See photo below for an example of the “onion” that gives Onion grass its name.
Onion grass (not related to onions) grows on moist to dry slopes in open woods, and well-drained slopes along streams. It’s natural habitat includes mountain forest and woods, open hillsides, and streambanks.
It looks lovely combined with poppies.
Raw roots traditionally used ground into a pinole by Pomo People.

Small-fruited Bulrush

Scirpus microcarpus

Available in SC and D-16 containers for $3.80-5.78 apiece!

A perennial bulrush growing to 5′ tall. Multiple stems emerge from each plump rhizome. The rhizomes are oblong and have thick, rough skins, resembling arrowroot.
Found along wet to moisture- retentive ground, such as pond margins, marshes, wet meadows, and stream banks. Can grow in both full sun and shady conditions.
Flowers May to August.
Provides valuable food and nesting material for wildlife. Birds of all types frequent and depend on it. Small animals such as turtles, muskrats, snakes, and amphibians seek refuge in the dense growth of its stems.
Many traditional uses by Mi’kmaq, Syilx Okanagan, and Makah Peoples–in basket weaving, as medicine, and decoration.

Junegrass

Koeleria macrantha

Available in stub containers for $2.60 apiece!

This small clumping perennial grass grows about 1-3′ tall. An attractive native grass, it looks like it belongs in a Japanese Garden. Ideal for drifts and masses, and will provide an effective slope or ground cover in hot, dry Summer climates. Space 2 ft apart.
Its eye-catching blue-green leaves and upright chartreuse flower spikes will go dormant in hot areas, but remain green in cooler summer climates.
Flowers start in June and are showy throughout July.
Food plant for the Columbia and Tawny-Edged Skipper butterflies.
Indigenous peoples including Cheyenne, Havasupai, Isleta, Navajo, and Okanagan use Junegrass as forage for livestock, as fiber for ceremonial paintbrushes, seeds ground for mush, breads, and cakes.

Slough Sedge

Carex obnupta

Available in stub and D-16 containers for $1.25-7.70 apiece!

Slough Sedge is a rapidly growing perennial that spreads by rhizomes. It grows to about 3 ft tall
This is a great evergreen sedge that spreads readily. Provides food and shelter for waterfowl.
Slough Sedge is unique in its form and the blooming cycle is remarkably long – from April to September–providing color all year, never turning brown, even in the driest spells.
Excellent material for basketry, especially fine-grained baskets. First Nations of the Pacific Northwest including Nuu-chah-nulth and Makah Peoples have many traditional uses for Slough sedge, including weaving blades for fine basketry and hats, or once softened, to line the insoles of moccasins.

Vanilla Grass

Anthoxanthum occidentale

Available in stub containers for $2.60 apiece!

This evergreen, spreading perennial grass grows to approx. 2’x2′ can be found growing in coniferous forests along the west coast of North America. Space 9-12″ apart.
It prefers a shady situation, with summer irrigation.
The whitish flowers are held on 18″ stalks above broad, bright green, sweetly scented foliage.
Excellent for woodland gardens, compatible with many redwood forest under story plants. Best with some summer water.
Previously named Hierochloe occidentalis.
Gently dried foliage makes a wonderfully fragrant sachet!

Gray Rush

Juncus patens

Available in SC containers for $3.80 apiece!

This evergreen clumping perennial grows 1-2 feet tall and has steely gray-blue stems and tan flowers
Gray rush can be used in different garden situations from a dry garden in shade (once established) to 4″ deep in a pond. Gray rush evokes the presence of water and looks beautiful in Japanese-style gardens.
Combine with Western columbine, island alum root, seep monkeyflowers, and most low-growing species of ceanothus.
Adapted to our dry summers and wet winters.
Flowers and fruit capsules visible February to October.
For maintenance, rake out old stems once or twice per year; no need to cut back.

Pine Bluegrass

Poa secunda

Available in stub containers for $2.60 apiece!

Pine Bluegrass has a moderate growth rate beginning in early spring, up to about 1.5-3 ft. Space 1’0″ apart.
It looks particularly beautiful, leaves and stems having a blueish cast and lemma tips that are typically purplish. At full flowering, white stamens dangle from their florets in the breeze.
Leaves are not abundant, and die back soon after flowering.
An excellent choice for its extreme drought tolerance and remarkable ability to produce a strong fibrous root system that suppresses weed growth. Tough!
Controls erosion, provides fodder for animals, helps revegetate land after fire, and provides birds with seeds–an all around powerhouse!

Foothill Needlegrass

Stipa lepida

Available in stub containers for $2.60 apiece!

This perennial cool season bunchgrass grows 1-3’ tall and is very drought tolerant. Space 1-2 ft apart.
This fine-bladed, tufted bunchgrass is commonly found along chaparral margins in the Coast Ranges and in the Sierra foothills. Its graceful flower stalks have needle like awns that shimmer in the afternoon light.
Excellent choice for dry meadow, mixed borders, rock gardens, or containers.
Phenomenal for erosion control–Needlegrasses have 10-20 feet deep roots!
Tolerant of partial shade and will stay green longer with a little summer water.
Previously named Nassella lepida

Resources:

Gophers, Deer, and more:

Thank you to the folks that have taken the time to contribute to our survey–there’s still a few more weeks if you’d like to share your experience growing CA native plants alongside deer, gophers, or other critters–please contribute your experience & advice here. Responses will go towards a public resource sheet!

Happy New Year from The Watershed Nursery Coop!

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