The Best Grasses for Hills

Fescue

• Several members of the Festuca genus grow well on hills. Blue fescue (F. ovina var. glauca) grows 6 to 10 inches tall. This central European native grows well in full sun to light shade and prefers well-drained, dry to moist soil. It has fine, blue-green foliage. Sheep's fescue (F. ovina) grows in clumps 6 to 24 inches tall. It tolerates drought and shade and grows well in sandy soil. Red fescue (F. rubra) also grows 6 inches to 2 feet tall and tolerates shade and drought. Red fescue tolerates mowing.

Dropseed

• Members of the Sporobolus genus can be grown on hillsides. Prairie dropseed (S. heterolepisis) grows in dense, 15-inch-tall clumps of very fine, shiny foliage. It prefers sun to light shade and tolerates drought and a range of soils. Its thread-like green foliage turns yellow and orange in fall. Sand dropseed (S. cryptandrus) grows in small clumps that range from 12 to 30 inches tall. It tolerates drought, sand and heavy soils and produces large seed heads. Alkali dropseed (S. airoides) grows to 5 feet tall and has gray-green, flowing foliage. It thrives in full sun and tolerates drought and a range of soils. Alkali dropseed produces pink floral panicles in summer.

Switch Grass

• The many varieties of switch grass (Panicum spp.) grow well in steep sites. This 3- to 6-foot-tall grass self-seeds easily and produces red to purple flowers and red seeds that attract wildlife. Its blue-green foliage turns red in fall. Switchgrass prefers sun to partial shade and tolerates a range of soils. Cultivars for hillside plantings include Prarie Sky (P. virgatum "Prairie Sky"), a blue-foliaged variety with arching foliage. Shenandoah has green foliage that ages to dark red in summer and burgundy in autumn. It grows to 4 feet tall. Hanse Herms grows 3 to 4 feet tall and has red foliage that turns bright orange in autumn. It produces pink and red flowers that age to gray.

Other

• Native grasses have built-in protection against local pests and disease and are adapted to regional climactic conditions. Native species for hills include sideoats gama (Bouteloua curtipendula), which grows 12 to 24 inches tall and has gray foliage. It is named for the one-sided seed heads it produces. This North American native grass grows well on steep slopes and helps to control erosion by forming sod. It thrives in dry, sandy sites with full sun to partial shade exposures. Canada wild rye (Elymus canadensis) grows 2 to 4 feet tall. Native to North America, this self-seeding grass fills in quickly. It produces heavy, oat-like seed heads in early fall that cause its narrow, green stems to droop. Canada wild rye prefers sun to partial shade and moist, well-drained soil, but tolerates drought, acidic and clay soils.