Plant Calculator
Enter the approximate length and width of the area you will be planting and click 'Calculate' to determine how many Bouteloua curtipendula you will need.
Correct and successful spacing is complex and depends on project conditions. We encourage you to call us at 877-ECO-PLUG for project specific recommendations and further assistance.
Bouteloua curtipendula
sideoats grama
- Category: Grass
- Hardiness Zone: 3-9
- Height: 18-24 Inches
- Spread: 18-24 Inches
- Spacing: 10-12 Inches
- Bloom Color: Red
- Foliage Color: Blue
This drought-tolerant, warm season grass is often over-looked as a specimen; however, the unique flowers serve as a striking focal point in a small garden and mixes well in meadow plantings, as its stature compliments others well in the spring.
Click here to download technical information for growers:
Exposure
| • | Full Sun |
Plug Type
| • | Landscape Plug™ |
Season of Interest (Flowering)
| • | Summer |
Propagation Type
| • | Open pollinated |
Grass Type
| • | Warm Season |
Additional Information about Bouteloua curtipendula
Bouteloua curtipendula is an innocuous-seeming grass. It features a distinctive inflorescence, an oat-like spikelet that originates in a faded purple hue and lightens to tan in the fall. The fall foliage color is golden brown fading to red-orange and purple shades. The plant grows to 2’ tall with flower spikes carrying it to 3’. What makes Bouteloua a must-have is it tolerates drought conditions, can be used for erosion control, and provides an airy backdrop as a massed plant in native meadow plantings.
This drought tolerant grass is native to open rocky woodlands and mixed grass prairies. Ranging through 42 of the 48 continental United States, it is most common in the prairie states of the Midwest.
Sideoats grama is often overlooked as a specimen; however, the unique flowers serve as a striking focal point in a small garden and mix well in meadow plantings, as its stature compliments others in the spring. We recommend this rhizomatous plant for use when a site is damaged by drought or grazing. Despite its ability to rehabilitate landscapes, it spreads at a very slow rate.
Growing & Maintenance Tips for Bouteloua curtipendula
Tolerating a wide range of soil conditions from average to dry soils dominated by sand or clay, it simply requires full sun. Maintenance is simple: cut back in late winter, or can be used in a landscape that undergoes controlled burns.