Grasses

Big Blue Stem

This big grass is Native to North America (East of the rockies) The stems are only vaguely blue in my experience, and they are also wide and hairy. Shows some "fall colors". It is a big grass.

Perennial. Full sun. Emerges late (keep it well marked until it is well established.) Grows best when it is hot.

You can trim it some to shape it if you please, but mostly just let it do it's thing. Don't cut it back too far until fall.

Certain birds love Big Bluestem for nest building material. I notice, this plant usually captures the interest of goldfinch in the fall. Possibly popular with monarchs as well.

To eliminate fire hazard and maintain a mannequired asthetic, dryed grasses in lanscapes can be cut to just above the soil at the end of the growing season. You can leave grasses standing in "wild" areas of a landscape. To keep tall grasses tidy and standing for habitat, tie tufts up with some string. Harvested straw can be used as decor, mulch, or crafts like basket weaving.

Bottle Brush

Shade loving, clumping habit, doesn't spread wildly or get too big.

Very pretty seed heads catch evening sunlight and dance in the wind. Good near borders. 

Native to the great lakes area, this perennial grass can grow monsterous root systems to seek out water and stabalize soil. Despite it's large root systems, it doesn't tend to be aggressive or domoinant in wild or managaged landscapes.

Bottlebrush Grass seeds benefit from a period of cool storage before planting, but they don't need to be moist for this.