Common name:Sideoats Grama
Botanical name:Bouteloua curtipendula
Short prairie grass of North America 2500-7000'. Warm season bunch grass. Extremely cold hardy. Full sun. Late spring & summer flower spikes often pink or purple. 18-24"H x 12-15"W. After flowering, seeds appear on one side of spike. Blue green leaves, dry tan. Mow early spring for clean regrowth. Very cold hardy into Canada. Birds and wildlife relish seeds. Larval food plant for many skipper butterflies. Cut back in fall.
Common name:Woolly Yarrow
Botanical name:Achillea tomentosa
Short stems of flat-topped golden flowers accent the deep green, wooly, fern-like leaves of the mat formed by this plant. It is a fine performer in rock gardens and at the front of herbaceous perennial borders. Yarrows propagate easily from rooted stems or division, which should be performed in the early spring or fall. Following bloom, dead head the plant and divide the clumps when it appears crowded.
| Designer: | Low Stylized Wall |
Photographer: Anon. |
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Mulching and adding compost to soil can minimize evaporation and help soil absorb and store water.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.