MAKE THE SWITCH

NATIVE GRASSES OFFER THE PERFECT ALTERNATIVE TO INVASIVE EXOTICS

- CATHERINE LUDDEN

Ornamental grasses have become increasingly popular as modern tastes have shifted to more naturalistic garden designs. Grasses bring year-round interest, movement, structure and seasonal changes of palette that enhance every garden.

Unfortunately, several popular non-native grasses have escaped gardens to invade natural areas, where they can displace native species. Exotic grasses do not support wildlife in the same way native plants do, and recent studies point to invasive grasses’ potential to worsen wildfires and their effects.

Two common ornamental grasses to omit from the garden are Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis) and fountain grasses (Pennisetum).

Miscanthus sinensis, also known as zebra grass, porcupine grass or maiden grass, has many cultivars, including ‘Morning Light’, ‘Flamingo’, ‘Ghana’ and ‘Adagio’ among many others. Though some of these are advertised to be sterile, cross-pollination with other cultivars has been shown to result in fertile, windborne seeds.

Despite being listed as an invasive species in more than a dozen states, and regulated or even banned in several, M. sinensis is still being sold and planted widely.

Two other popular ornamental grasses, African fountaingrass (Pennisetum setaceum) and Chinese fountain grass (P.alopecuroides), are also now recognized as invasive.