prairie grasses

Delaware, OH

I'm new to this forum. I live in central ohio and want to plant several acres of prairie grasses that will be 2-4 ft high. Can anyone suggest specific grasses to use?

Dublin, CA(Zone 9a)

Here are a couple references for you--the first one is just a reference, the 2nd one is actually a nursery that offers some things for sale (no idea if it's a good nursery to order from or not, they just came up on Google when I looked for Ohio native grasses, but at the very least you can get the names of some plants to look for)
http://ohioline.osu.edu/b865/b865_16.html
http://www.ohioprairienursery.com/

Buffalo, NY(Zone 6a)

IMO the classic prairie grasses have to be andropogon gerardii (bit larger than you want though), panicum virgatum (ditto), schizachyrium scoparium, sorghastrum nutans, and sporobolus heterolepis. Those are all warm-season bunchgrasses. I think my favorite is the last, especially in fall with New England asters or blazing stars. Some links on sporobolus h. (prairie dropseed):

http://chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/summer2001/prairiedropseed.html

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SPHE

http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/prairiephotos/morton_arboretum2.jpg

Brighton, MO(Zone 6a)

I will second Jsorens suggestion of Prairie Dropseed ... if it is appropriate for your site. I have it as a border between my lawn and a wildflower meadow planting. As the Chicago Wilderness site he linked says, it takes a long time to establish, and considerable attention, but mine is approaching self-sufficiency after its third season from nursery plants.

I have a specimen border with Switchgrass and Indiangrass in another area, as well. They have done exceptionally well, and give me a pleasant look from mid May until time to knock the old growth down in late February. It's a joy to watch the wild turkeys knocking down the 6 foot tall Indiangrass stems to get to the seeds in the fall.

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