Drought-Tolerant Native Grasses

Grass Types

• Drought-tolerant native grasses grow in clumps or by spreading across the soil's surface with creeping rhizomatous roots or stems. Rhizomatous grass varieties have the natural ability of crowding out weeds or other plants. They create a dense ground cover, unlike clumping grass types. Warm-season native grass varieties rarely require supplement watering. They actively grow during the warm months, but turn brown and enter dormancy in the winter. Cool-season grasses often require supplemental watering to stay green. The grass can tolerate drought, but will often turn brown until irrigation is restored.

Cool-Season Grass

• Turf-type tall fescue has the classification of being a cool-season native bunch grass. If the grass is seeded thickly, the clumps will grow together and give the appearance of a lush lawn. Tall fescue requires extremely little water and will retain its green coloration in most drought conditions, except extreme drought. Creeping bent grass is classified as a cool-season native grass. It spreads through a creeping rhizome root system. The grass tolerates drought well and requires very little care.

Warm-Season Grass

• Buffalo grass once dominated the Great Plains of North America. It was the main staple of the buffalo herds. A warm-season grass, it grows by a creeping rhizome root system. Its thick roots were well-suited for constructing sod houses on the Great Plains. The grass can withstand drought well and thrives with only a deep watering every three weeks. Its low growth makes it require remarkably little mowing. During times of drought, buffalo grass will turn brown, but its green coloration will quickly return once it receives water. It requires only 10 to 15 inches of rainfall annually. Buffalo grass makes an accetable drought-tolerant native turf grass.

Ornamental Grass

• Landscaping with ornamental grasses can provide visual interest all year. Little bluestem is known for its drought tolerance. It grows to a height of 2 to 5 feet. Clipping its flowers can make an compelling dried bouquet. Western wheatgrass and June grass grow 24 inches tall. They need only 18 to 24 inches of rain annually to succeed. Blue grama grass has a bluish coloration that stands out in stark contrast against green ornamental grass varieties. The grass stands 10 to 20 inches in height. A clump-forming grass, its roots help control soil erosion. It can subsist on 10 inches of rain annually.