Prairie Dropseed

I just found four 1 gallon plants on clearance at HD for $1.50 each. Great fall color, coppery orange. I'm doing the happy dance! Happy happy, joy joy!

What a great score!

I tried to start some from seed this year, and thought I got skunked, but recently found a couple of late sprouts in the container, so I may actually have a couple of plants if they survive winter. Meanwhile, I bought a bunch more seed, to try again.

Do you have a Home Depot store near you? The regular price was $8.96 each. The plants aren't huge, but for that price, figure I couldn't lose. One thing I learned, doing some reading last night (typical that I research a plant after I've bought it, heh heh), the clumps only reach about 12" x 18" at maturity. The "height" given of 36" refers to a very slender infloresence, only one of mine had any blooms at all. If it's like many so-called drought tolerant grasses, it puts down a deep taproot, which uses most of the plant's energy in the first one or two growing seasons. So it may take a while to come into it's own. I was looking for a substitute for Carex buchananii, which is 18-24" tall & wide, and not hardy here. So I may need more, or I need to space them farther apart. Which would be a good idea, since I tend to cram. I was hoping to find more Hakonechloa too or *sigh* Purple Emperor sedum. If my HD got any PE sedum, they must've sold right off the truck. I couldn't find any at all this year! And I love grasses and sedums together. Still no word on the pennisetum. Ah, gives me something to work on this winter...Cheers.

Hi Prairie Girl,

You said you liked grasses + sedums, thought you might find these pics of a friend's yard interesting. I realize I'm not sure if people only send pics of their own gardens to this forum, but thought you might like this. She is an 'artiste' with sedums, and they are a beautiful complement to the grasses. I have 2 more I'll send.

That was spring. Here's August. She doesn't use particularly 'fancy' grasses here, but she does grow these 'regular' ones so well.

Here's another in August, then there'll be one more in Oct.

Spectacular photos aog47! Thank you for sharing them with me. Your friend has a real talent for combining form and texture. I love the evergreens, and the weeping tree as well. Do you know what kind of tree that is? I really love the combination of plant material and the sweeping curve of the front walk. The groundcovers have filled in so nicely too. Any idea what they are? This proves that you don't need anything "fancy" in your garden, in order to really make a statement. One you can enjoy in any season. I would really like to see the garden in winter as well, with some snow cover. I am saving these pictures in my scrapbook, okay? Thanks again for posting them.

It looks like a weeping mulberry to me from here.

Bill

Yes, that's a weeping mulberry. Here is the Oct. photo that I never got sent last night. Glad you enjoyed the pics.

Some of the ground covers are artemesia stellarana, various kinds of sedums.

OOooh- I didn't realize that was Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron' aka Japanese bloodgrass until I saw the fall color, that is outstanding. Thanks so much for posting these. Very inspiring.

Couldn't resist sending just one more.

Are there two weeping mulberries? I'm tickled that you posted one more!

No, that's the same one from a different angle.

I don't have much in the way of grass pics from my own yard, but have others that I took in various places for a grass talk I did last year. Stumbled into DG and was wowed by hczone6's photos, and he let me use a few for the talk. He's definitely the king of the grasses and the photos, no?