From 2009-2014, we offered, what I think is one of the finest ornamental grasses we’ve ever grown, Sporobolus wrightii. Sadly, sales were miserable. Well, a decade later, we are still just as passionate about this amazing plant, and are trying to figure out how to get folks to try it. Over the years, we’ve tried two distinct forms of the giant sacaton grass. The first photo below is our compact form we named Sporobolus wrightii ‘Summer Fireworks’. In 2005, we added a second form, Sporobolus wrightii ‘Los Lunas’, a new collection from The Los Lunas Agricultural Center at New Mexico State University. In two decades of trials, we found Sporobolus ‘Summer Fireworks’ much more compact, with a much better floral show, under our garden conditions. The ‘Los Lunas’ seed strain is a much larger plant, used to to develop large windbreaks, so their focus was the opposite of developing a more compact form.
Sporobolus wrightii is a US native (Utah to Texas), that’s tolerant of extreme drought as well as alkaline soils. Each clump will quickly produce a 3′ tall x 4′ wide, semi-evergreen clump of grey-green foliage. Starting for us in mid July, the clump is topped with graceful 5′ tall flower panicles of a delicious golden-bronze. In the garden, it has the presence of a molinia on steroids, but with much more drought, salt, and heat tolerance, although it also thrives in floodplains. In thirty years of cultivation, we never seen a single garden seedling in our wet summer climate, but it obviously does reseed occasionally in the Intermountain West. Winter hardiness is Zone 5a-9b.
I would buy it if you feature it again
Will you be offering it in the future?
We just stubborn enough to give it one more try, since it’s such a great plant…hopefully ready for spring.
Yes, as quick as we can get it propagated.
Hi,
I’m looking for grasses and perennials to plant over a septic drain field that is full- to part-sun, has a gentle slope and is well-draining.
I’m planning to use a wide variety of shallow-rooted native pollinator-friendly herbaceous perennials that are traditionally recommended for planting over drain fields; and will add cultivars of native grasses like Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem), Festuca glauca (Blue Fescue), Muhlenbergia capillaris (Muhly Grass). I’m thinking about possibly using Calamagrostis acutiflora (Feather Reed Grass) and Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed), .
Since Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed) is a grass that is considered to be ‘drain-field friendly’ would you consider Sporobolus wrightii ‘Summer Fireworks’ and Sporobolus wrightii ‘Los Lunas’ also to be safe to plant over drain lines?
Thanks,
Greg
Yes, all of these grasses would be fine for a drain field, if they like our climate, which many don’t. Most blue fescue, Sporobolus heterolepis, and Calamagrostis acutiflora perform very poorly in our East Central NC Climate. So far, we’ve only found one blue fescue that manages okay here, and we are working to develop a heat tolerant Sporobolus heterolepsis, but that’s still a few years away. Calamagrostis acutiflora doesn’t die, but it looks so bad that a mercy killing is in order. Calamagrostis brachytricha is far better here. C. acutiflora is much better about an hour north of us. If the soil stays slightly moist, molinias are another fabulous choice.
I’ll look for your upcoming crop of Sporobolus wrightii ‘Summer Fireworks’. Thanks for the tip on C. brachytrichia and the molinias. I have a flat of Blue Fescue Elijah Blue that I will try in the more shady edges of the drain field.
This project involves plantings in beds that transect the length and width of the drain field to create a ‘design’ and clearly divide it into multiple ‘sections/rooms’. I’d like a dark foliage grass to define the ‘backbone’ of the beds and clearly outline each ‘section’. 3-5 ft clumps are fine, I’m not looking for screens/windbreaks. Think Andropogon gerardii Blackhawks Big Bluestem, but somewhat smaller and suitable for drain fields.
Thanks,
Greg
Sounds like a fun project.