Best Ornamental Grasses for Birds

Ornamental Grasses for Birds

The sights and sounds of ornamental grasses moving in the wind makes them a great choice for any garden. Many are native prairie plants adapted to the wide range of soils found in the Austin area. And if that’s not enough reasons, ornamental grasses attract birds and butterflies. Native sparrows, finches and other small birds forage the seed heads. This is in addition to the more than 100 butterfly species, especially skippers, that use certain grasses as larval host plants.

Travis County Master Gardener Linda Drga suggests that you put a birdbath near your ornamental grass beds. This provides the small birds water in proximity to the protection and shelter the grasses afford them. Grasses also are a source of nesting material.

In general, ornamental grasses prefer sunny, well-drained soils. There are a variety of forms and textures, heights and spread. They are low maintenance once established and can be divided every three to four years. Plant them in fall so that the roots have time to get established before summer heat arrives.

Here is Linda’s list of the best ornamental grasses for birds that do well in the Austin area.

Grass	Growing Conditions	Use	Mature Size	Color	Other Notes
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)	Moist to dry soil and full sun, tough grass	Seeds, winter shelter, butterfly host	3-7 feet tall; 2-4 feet wide	Reddish-purple fades to tan	Mulch heavily to prevent seeds from spreading. Native; deer resistant
Little Bluestem ‘Nash’ (Schizachyrium scoparium)	Well-drained soil and full sun, moderate growth, adaptable	Seeds, foliage provides cover, nesting	2-3 feet tall; 1-2 feet wide	Blue-green foliage turns dark red to purple to tan	Good for naturalized areas and erosion control. Tall upright foliage and seed heads used for cut flowers. Needs space as it readily reseeds. Larval host for Skipper butterfly. Native. Bunching growth habit.
Inland Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)	Fast growing, erosion control, medium water, adaptable to any soil, prefers shade, native	Seeds, good for pots	2-4 feet tall; 2-4 feet wide	Green then age to tan	Attractive arching seed heads in late summer. Readily reseeds. Cut back in late summer for seed control. Stems used for dried flower arrangements.
Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis)	Drought/heat tolerant; low-medium water, most soil types	Seeds; larval plant; good for wildflower meadows	6 to 12 inches tall; 6 to 12 inches wide	White seed heads that grow horizontally; green or greyish leaves	Eyelash-shape, horizontal seed heads. Native, short-grass prairie plant. Bunching growth habit. Can be used as lawn replacement. Larval host for Skipper butterflies.
Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)	Full sun, prefers well-drained soil but will tolerate rocky or clay soils	Seeds; bird nesting material; structure for native bees	2-4 feet tall; 2-4 feet wide	Pink and brown tinted blooms	Native. Fine-textured, bunching round clump growth habit. Use as edging plant or ground cover. Delicate seed heads. Dethatch yearly.
Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)	Well-drained to moist soil; prefers full sun but will tolerate some shade	Seeds; foliage provides cover; good for wildflower meadows	4-6 feet tall; 2-3 feet wide	Dark orange or purple in fall, yellow seed heads that age to brown	Lush upright growth habit. Good for screens and erosion control. Corn-like structure.
Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca)	Well-drained soil and full sun	Seeds, nesting material,	6-18 inches tall; 12-24 inches wide, neat mounds	Blue-green foliage, golden spike heads	Semi-evergreen and drought tolerant.
Purple Millet (Pennisetum galucum)	Tolerant of heat and low moisture; full sun	Seeds	4-6 feet tall with 8-12 inches flower plumes	Gold to Purple foliage and seed heads	Tender perennial but starts easily from seed. Corn-like foliage. Good in pots. Dense, bushy growth habit. Stems used for dried flower arrangements.
Karl Foerester Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora)	Sun-part shade, average soil, medium moisture, tolerates wet soil	Seeds	3-5 feet tall, 18-30 inch wide	Blue-grey foliage; white showy seed heads	Hybrid, non-native with strong, upright, narrow leaves. Use as an accent or border plant. Good for erosion control. Stems used for dried flower arrangements.
Mexican Feathergrass (Nassella tenuissma)	Alkaline soils	Seeds, nesting material	1-3 feet tall; 1-2 feet wide	Green flowers in summer, evergreen	Fine textured leaves forming dense clumps. Drought and frost tolerant. Graceful in the breeze. Reseeds readily and can be invasive.
Dwarf Fountaingrass ‘Hameln’ or ‘Little Bunny’ (Pennisetum alopecuroides)	Full sun, well-drained; drought tolerant	Seeds, nesting material	3 feet tall; 2 feet wide	White plumes turn russet in fall; fall foliage is golden-russet color	Uniform soft textured, compact, clumping growth habit. Non-native. Use as an accent or container plant. Stems used for dried flower arrangements. Susceptible to cold damage if cut back too early in fall – wait for the foliage to die.
Purple Fountaingrass ‘Ruburn’ (Pennisetum setaceum)	Sunny location, well- drained soil	Seeds, nesting material	3-4 feet tall, 4 feet wide	Purple or burgundy foliage, purplish seed heads	Good for the garden or containers. Fast growing. Propagate by division since it rarely sets seed.
Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa)	Moist, rich, organic soil and full-part shade	Seeds, nesting material	2-3 feet tall; 1-2 feet wide	Dark green	Clumping growth habit. The fine, hair-like grass creates a waterfall appearance. Excellent ornamental for part-shade, petite, rock or woodland gardens. Goes well with ferns. Low-maintenance.
Bamboo muhly (Muhlenbergia Dumosa)	Fertile well-drained soil	Cover, nesting material	3-6 feet tall; 3-6 feet wide	Straw-colored blooms late summer	Fast growing. Cut back in late winter. Graceful and wispy leaves. Can be grown in large container.
Gulf Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris)	Sun, medium moisture	Cover, nesting material	1-3 feet tall; 1-3 feet wide	Fluffy pink blossoms late summer	Soft-looking, slender green leaves. Clumping growth habit. Native. Cut back late winter. Spectacular when backlit by the sun.
Lindheimer’s Muhly (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri)	Medium water use but drought tolerant.	Seeds, cover, nesting material	2-5 feet tall, 2-4 feet wide	Silver seed heads in fall	Semi-evergreen, finely textured leaves with a clumping growth habit. Moderate growth. Elegant swaying seed heads. Texas Superstar® plant. Native. Deer resistant. Popular variety is ‘Regal Mist’.
Japanese Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis)	Well drained soil	Seeds	4-6 feet tall; 2-4 feet wide	Blooms vary in varieties	Slow to moderate growth. Blooms late summer. Deer and rabbit resistant. Stems used for dried flower arrangements. Good visual interest in winter.