The native grasses chosen for our native turf mix are wonderful Ohio natives, each bringing it's own unique qualities to the mix.

Elymus canadensis - Canada Wild Rye : This beautiful grass has a shiny blue metallic appearance in the sunlight and throughout the fall to spring remains semi-evergreen.  During the mid to late summer this grass produces nodding seed heads (spikes) at the end of stems (culms) reaching 36".  These seed heads add a great deal of interest to the landscape, adding movement to the grass when the wind blows.  Wild rye prefers full sun to part shade and from moist to dry conditions.  Adapting to practically any soil type including those containing loam, clay, gravel, or sand the wild rye is at home in an erosion control situation or in rain garden/bio-swale.

Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem : This attractive prairie grass really comes into it's own in the fall with it's beautiful reddish autumn foliage.  During the summer season this grass reaches 24"-36" tall with densely tufted bases and foliage that is light green to light blue in color.  Full sun and dry conditions make this grass a work horse where infertile soils and clay-loam, gravel, or sand dominated soils.  Often used in prairie restoration and projects requiring drought resistant grass.  Little bluestem is an important wildlife habitat plant providing food for several species of caterpillars in the skipper family.  Other insects such as the Prairie Walkingstick, grasshoppers, and leafhopper feed on the foliage of the little bluestem and they in turn become food for many bird species.

Bouteloua curtipendula - Sideoats Grama : A distinctive oat-like spikelet beginning as a faded purple hue makes this grass stand out among other grasses even though it only reaches heights of 18"-24".  Rhizomatous in nature this grass is often used to repair sites damaged by drought or over grazing.  Salt tolerance makes it a perfect grass for projects near roadways.  The seeds that are produced are a favorite of the songbirds that frequent grasslands and prairies.  Fall foliage color is a golden brown fading to red-orange with purple hues.

Sporobolus heterolepis - Prairie Dropseed : One of the true prairie grasses, this drought tolerant, long lived grass forms dense tufts of sprawling leaves 1-2' tall.  The root system is fibrous, with a short rhizome  making it ideal for full sun and soil that is loamy, rocky, or gravely.  Seeds are eaten by song birds from late summer into winter and the grass itself is a larval host to the Leonard's Skipper.  The fall foliage color is a striking pumpkin orange making this grass and excellent choice for the landscape.

 SPF-30 Kentucky Bluegrass : A cross between Texas Bluegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass (TX x KBG) this bluegrass brings a whole new meaning to drought tolerant cool season grasses.  SPF-30 is also a much more heat tolerant cool season grass and it's aggressive rhizome system along with having one of the deepest root systems of all grasses, makes it the ideal choice for sediment and erosion control.  

Turf Type Tall Fescue : Added to the mix because of it's resistance to heavy wear and drought tolerance this cool season grass will provide year round color to the landscape and roots down with in 7-14  days  after being harvested.  This quick turn around time will allow the native turf mix to establish it's self quickly thus making it ideal for sediment and erosion control.  Tall fescue will blend nicely with the other grasses giving the overall mix a very finished look and will help to control weed establishment since it will act as the "ground cover" grass.

Wildlife loves native grasses

Wildlife loves native grasses