Grasses/Sedges/Rushes

A woodland bunchgrass with attractively arched leaves, perfect for filing out shady understory. Useful as erosion control on shaded slopes and stre...

A.k.a. turkeyfoot. A tall, adaptable prairie grass that hosts a wide variety of insects, including many skippers. Favored by a wide variety of graz...

An adaptable woodland grass that grows even in deep shade. Easily recognizable by its seed heads in the later half of the year. Light: Part Sun/Sha...

An evergreen sedge partial to wetlands and woodlands. The spiky seed pod is easy to spot in stands of wetland plants, and the seeds are regularly e...

A.k.a. red-based spike-rush. An adaptable, mat forming rush with a broad range. It’s small stature and dense growth make it an ideal species to pla...

A wetland sedge that tolerates occasional standing water. Requires constant moisture when growing in full sun. Light: Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade Soil...

A taller rush that is visibly darker in color than other local rushes. Perfect for adding visual interest to wetland plantings, filling ditches, an...

A robust, adaptable sedge with a clumped form that makes it ideal for landscape borders. Spreads well in disturbed habitats, so is well suited for ...

A shorter, unassuming sedge that nevertheless feeds many species of birds and insects. Tends to spread by rhizomes and form small colonies. Light: ...

This standup grass is often planted for winter interest, as its tall seed stalks that remain upright longer into the winter than big bluestem. The ...

The cornerstone of dry shortgrass plantings itself! Stays short, but fills dry plantings well. Adapts to most soil textures, but will not tolerate ...

A.k.a. wild oats, inland oats, and river oats. A lovely grass for shady areas, it’s distinctive seed heads are easily spotted and last into the win...

A.k.a. Pennsylvania sedge. A short sedge coveted for its ability to form colonies in shady and dry conditions! Primarily spreads by running, but ma...

A.k.a. muskingum sedge*. A distinctive, showy, fairly tall sedge that hosts several species of moth, butterfly, and skipper! Prefers part sun/shade...

A smaller wetland sedge named for the prickly appearance of its seed heads. Very similar in appearance to other “bottlebrush sedges” such that iden...

A beautifully clumping short grass with fine, sprawling leaves. Very rarely reseeds even in garden beds, making it a prime grass for landscaping. F...

A.k.a. Bicknell’s sedge and copper-shouldered oval sedge. A shorter sedge that prefers dryer soils. An excellent shorter sedge for shortgrass prair...

A.k.a. nodding bulrush. A comparatively adaptable rush that will tolerate mesic conditions, recognizable by its flat, grass like leaves and droopin...

A wetland sedge that puts on obvious brown spikelets. It’s bunching habit and mildly contrasting foliage color makes it showy to some extent and ex...

An adaptable, drought resistant grass with a generally small stature- the seed stalk makes up most of the height. Notable for the bright color of i...

A dominant grass of tallgrass prairies, it’s plumes of seeds are showy in their later stages. Valuable as an insect host and for winter habitat. Ta...

A bunching, ornamental grass that tolerates shady conditions! Foliage is semi-evergreen and may last through mild winters. May self seed in optimum...

 A taller, clumping sedge with lush seed heads that can adapt to mesic conditions. The wind dispersed seeds are fluffy when they mature in the fall...