Buy Sea Oats Grass
Northern Sea Oats Grass is easy to grow in full sun or in part shade gardens. Although the size of this lovely grass will depend on the growing conditions, they should still produce seed heads with at least four hours of sunlight a day.
buy sea oats grass
Prune the dried foliage down to the ground in early spring. Do this simple task before new growth emerges. Warm-season grasses may take longer to green up in the spring, but really shine once the hot, dry summer weather kicks in!
Almost any gardener who has driven along a coastal highway in the southeastern United States has caught a glimpse of the indigenous wild sea oats along the sand dunes. If you have walked along those beaches, you will have seen signs that picking sea oats (or any part thereof, including seeds) is against the law in several states, and carries a hefty fine.
What is so tantalizing about sea oats, making one wish to break the law to have sea oats in their own garden? For starters, they have a striking appearance growing and swaying in the slightest breeze. The decorative plumes (seed heads) are often dried and placed in floral arrangements, or displayed alone as a focal point. Sea oats are quite easy to have without breaking the law, but few people are aware seeds and/or plants may be bought legally from nurserymen licensed by the state of Florida to propagate them. These nurseries supply sea oat plants to local, state and federal government agencies for dune restoration after hurricanes; the nurseries are allowed to sell them to the public as well.
There are some other grasses quite similar and used as a substitute for sea oats in the home garden. These plants are known as northern sea oats, aka river oats, spangle grass, indian woodoats, broadleaf spike grass and inland sea oats; the botanical name is Chasmanthium latifolium (synonym Uniola latifolia). They are a hardier perennial (to Zone 5a) than wild sea oats, occurring naturally along stream banks and forest valleys from the eastern United States west to Nebraska, Texas and Mexico. They are generally available in garden nurseries and I have some growing in my own yard (shown in left photo).
I hope this will encourage you to plant some of this legal striking ornamental sea oat grass or one of its cousins in your garden, and encourage others to heed the laws protecting the wild sea oats that protect the shorelines for all of us.
Click here for mail order sources of sea oats. Another source is Coastal Native Plant Specialties, Inc. For other sources, ask your local Extension Service, or contact the Florida State Conservation folks.
Shade loving, perennial grass with wide leaves. Grows 2 to 3 ft high. Distinct and attractive chevron seedheads. Often found thriving along creeks and river banks in woodland areas. Highly palatable to livestock, but can be easily grazed out. This is one of just a very few Native Grasses that thrive in shady and moist conditions. It is also salt tolerant and can prove useful in dune management where sunlight is not too intense.The Natives are FriendlyInland Sea Oats is an exceptional grass that can be planted even in the deepest shade. It is most valued for its ornamental seed heads and its ability to quickly vegetate critically eroding shady areas such as stream beds. This is the perfect grass for erosion control in these areas and it is one of the few grasses that can grow aggressively in these conditions as well as improve water quality. Inland Sea Oats has been proven to be salt tolerant and has been used for many years along the coast to help manage sand dunes. With the abundant moisture in the coastal climate I have seen the seed heads grow 4 to 5ft high with the individual spikelets, hanging from threadlike stems sometimes, 3 to 4 inches long. The more moisture it has the more sunlight it can tolerate. The seed heads make beautiful dried arrangements. If left uncut on the plant, they will turn a yellowish bronze color after exposure to the cold, adding interest to the winter landscape. In the home landscape you should try adding this grass as an accent around your ponds, the shady parts next to the house where nothing will grow, around the base of your big trees where the sun rarely reaches or in a large pot on a patio or porch.Inland Sea Oats will normally grow anywhere from 1ft up to 4ft high and spread aggressively if planted in shady moist conditions. This is a perennial clump or bunch grass with rhizomatous roots. The leaves are blue-green in deeper shade and a lighter yellow-gold in sunnier spots. Livestock readily graze it but because of its preference for growing on stream banks where cattle have restricted access, its forage value is limited. Its native range is from Pennsylvania south to Florida and west to Arizona. Wildlife depend on Inland Sea Oats mainly for the habitat it provides in helping stabilize highly erodible areas, but also for food and nesting material. For the butterfly enthusiast, Inland Sea Oats is a larval host for the Pepper & Salt skipper butterfly, Bells roadside skipper butterfly and the Bronzed roadside skipper butterfly. Inland Sea Oats will be at home in any shady moist setting, be it rural or urban.
This is a 2-4 ft., clump-forming, perennial grass bearing large, drooping, oat-like flower spikelets from slender, arching branches. The blue-green, bamboo-like leaves often turn a bright yellow-gold, especially in sunnier sites, in fall.
Very popular as a low-maintenance shade grass, Inland sea oats is notable for its large, graceful seedheads. Sending up blue-green basal leaves in earliest spring, it can be 2 feet tall and a vivid green by May, with translucent green seedheads swaying in the breeze. By mid-summer, the seeds will have turned an attractive ivory and will turn brown in a few months before dropping off. It passes through most of winter a soft brown, but becomes tattered and gray by February, a good time to cut it back to the basal rosette. It reseeds easily and can expand aggressively within a couple of years, making a solid mat in moist loams. It has been used to prevent soil erosion along streams. The seed stalks are attractive in flower arrangements.
Native grasses for shade in DallasNovember 30, 2008What native grasses can be grown under large Live Oaks in the Dallas Area? The combination of shade and black gumbo soil seem to keep all plant life, except for poison ivy and ferns, out. I would lo... view the full question and answer
Yes, which makes it a good choice if you garden in seaside communities or if you are landscaping along a road that the town salts in winter."}},"@type": "Question","name": "Is northern sea oats drought resistant?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "It is moderately drought tolerant once established, in the sense that a mild drought will not kill it. However, northern sea oats will not perform optimally without adequate irrigation.","@type": "Question","name": "How can you use northern sea oats?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "Cut some stems of northern sea oats and use them in dried floral arrangements."]}]}] .icon-garden-review-1fill:#b1dede.icon-garden-review-2fill:none;stroke:#01727a;stroke-linecap:round;stroke-linejoin:round > buttonbuttonThe Spruce The Spruce's Instagram The Spruce's TikTok The Spruce's Pinterest The Spruce's Facebook NewslettersClose search formOpen search formSearch DecorRoom Design
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Learn tips for creating your most beautiful home and garden ever.Subscribe The Spruce's Instagram The Spruce's TikTok The Spruce's Pinterest The Spruce's Facebook About UsNewsletterPress and MediaContact UsEditorial GuidelinesGardeningLandscapingGrassesHow to Grow and Care for Northern Sea OatsBy
Northern sea oats can spread both through seeds and rhizomes. It is rarely invasive in the northern United States, but, in warmer climates, it may be invasive. Check with your county extension if you want to find out if it is considered invasive in your area. One way to minimize the chances of its spreading is to grow it on a patio in a container.
Northern sea oats decorative grass is a versatile plant that performs equally well in sun or shade. The grass is loosely tufted and forms a clump. The leaves are dark green, long, and slightly pointed at the end, resembling bamboo leaves.
You need to consider the invasive nature of the plant, which grows from rhizomes and seeds readily. The self-sowing nature can cause numerous seedlings and make the grass a nuisance. Cut the seed heads off to prevent spreading and bring them indoors for use in dried floral arrangements. The foliage should be sheared back in late winter to make way for the new spring growth. 041b061a72