Grasses in Bloom...?

Grass plants are prized for their wonderful variety of textures, forms, and colors. But their flowers? Not so much. Grasses are wind pollinated; no need to put on a showy flower display to attract insects. Technically, what we see is an inflorescence composed of tiny flowers, or florets, protected by bracts. The bracts are the showy structures that add a second tier of visual impact to the landscape. Here are a few of the grasses that are blooming now in my garden:


I love switch grass, and my favorite is this blue cultivar, Panicum virgatum 'Prairie Sky' Note the tiny burgundy-red flowers.

This panicle type inflorescence looks like beads on crimped wires to me!

My prairie/meadow garden features native little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium.

Red flowers here, too, on a spike inflorescence

Indian grass, Sorgastrum nutans, is another native.

Although this also looks like another spike inflorescence, it will open into a raceme as it matures a bit

Note the minute yellow flowers. The hair-like structure is an awn

The next time you're admiring the grasses in your garden, take a closer look and see what you can discover!