Blog Keywords

Native Plants Blogs

river oats seeds

Growing native grasses from seed

Grasses at a Glance
Over the past two months, I’ve been working with Master Gardener and Master Naturalist volunteers to sort, clean, and package seeds of native plants we collected from pollinator gardens in the fall. We plan to give away these seeds at local programs that focus on supporting pollinators. It’s always...
Finish this story
Short, clumping grasses planted in a garden

Value of grasses in our managed landscapes

Grasses at a Glance
I am making plans to add some new garden beds in my backyard. Starting with a blank slate can be daunting, but there are certain questions I ask myself when considering if a plant makes the cut to go in the garden. Besides matching the growing condition requirements of the plants to the conditions...
Finish this story
bunch of deer tongue grass on woodland edge

Identifying Deer Tongue Grass

Grasses at a Glance
A few weeks ago I was leading a plant identification hike in a restored prairie. Naturally in a prairie system, there are a lot of grasses to identify! We saw some tallgrass species as well as some weedy grasses. We also saw one of the 30+ species of Panic grasses that we have in Illinois, ...
Finish this story
bunch of a sedge in bloom

Telling apart grasses, sedges, rushes

Grasses at a Glance
This time of year, I start getting emails with questions about how to identify grasses that people find growing in their yard. After reviewing pictures, oftentimes the grass they want to know more about actually turns out to be a sedge. Sedges are grass-like plants, but they have some distinct...
Finish this story
Giant Cane growing in a bottomland forest

Identifying Giant Cane, a native bamboo

Grasses at a Glance
Even during the coldest of winter days, one grass continues to boast green foliage – Giant Cane. Giant Cane (Arundinaria gigantea) is a unique grass because it is the only native species of bamboo found in Illinois. Once widespread throughout the bottomland forests of southern Illinois,...
Finish this story
bunches of orange grasses standing out from the green foliage behind it

Identifying Broomsedge in fall and winter

Grasses at a Glance
As we enter December, you’re likely not thinking about going outside to work on your grass identification skills. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good time to pay attention to grasses! Certain grasses stand out during the dormant seasons of the year for one reason or another, and over the...
Finish this story