Muttongrass: A Hardy Native Grass for Low-Maintenance Landscapes
If you’re looking for a tough, drought-tolerant native grass that won’t demand much attention once it’s settled in, muttongrass (Poa fendleriana) might just be your new best friend. This unassuming perennial bunch grass may not win any beauty contests, but it’s got character and resilience that make it a valuable player in the right garden setting.
What Is Muttongrass?
Muttongrass is a native North American perennial grass that forms neat little bunches rather than spreading aggressively across your landscape. Standing about 2 feet tall at maturity, this fine-textured grass sports green foliage and produces small, inconspicuous yellow flowers in early spring. Don’t expect a showy display – this grass is more about substance than style.
As a true native, muttongrass has deep roots in North American ecosystems, literally and figuratively. It’s naturally found across a impressive range that includes parts of Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba) and 16 U.S. states spanning from the Pacific Northwest down to Texas and from California east to Nebraska.
Why You Might Want to Plant Muttongrass
Here’s where muttongrass really shines – it’s practically bulletproof once established. This grass thrives in conditions that would make other plants wave the white flag:
- Extremely drought tolerant with low water needs
- Handles poor soils with low fertility requirements
- Tolerates alkaline soils (pH up to 8.0)
- Cold hardy down to -38°F
- Requires minimal maintenance
- Supports native ecosystems as a native species
The moderate growth rate means it won’t quickly outgrow its space, and its bunch-forming habit keeps it well-behaved in the landscape.
Where Muttongrass Works Best
This isn’t a grass for formal gardens or high-visibility areas where you want dramatic visual impact. Instead, consider muttongrass for:
- Native plant gardens and prairie restorations
- Xeriscaping and water-wise landscapes
- Erosion control on slopes
- Low-maintenance naturalized areas
- Restoration projects in its native range
Muttongrass works well in USDA hardiness zones 3-8, making it suitable for much of the northern United States and southern Canada.
Growing Conditions and Care
The beauty of muttongrass lies in its simplicity. This grass prefers:
- Full sun (it’s shade intolerant)
- Well-draining, coarse to medium-textured soils
- Areas receiving 10-18 inches of annual precipitation
- Soil pH between 6.0-8.0
- Minimal to no fertilization
Avoid heavy clay soils and wet areas – muttongrass has no tolerance for waterlogged conditions or anaerobic soils.
Planting and Propagation Tips
Growing muttongrass from seed is your best bet, as it’s rarely available in containers and doesn’t propagate vegetatively. Here’s what you need to know:
- Seeds are tiny – expect about 2 million seeds per pound
- No cold stratification required
- Seedling vigor is low, so be patient
- Commercial availability is limited to field collections
- Sow seeds in spring when soil temperatures warm
- Expect slow establishment but long-term durability
Once established, muttongrass requires minimal care. It doesn’t resprout after cutting, so any maintenance should be done thoughtfully.
Wildlife and Ecological Benefits
While muttongrass won’t attract butterflies with showy flowers (it’s wind-pollinated), it does contribute to native ecosystems by providing habitat structure and supporting the complex web of native grassland communities. As with most native grasses, it likely provides food for various wildlife species, though specific benefits aren’t well-documented.
Is Muttongrass Right for You?
Muttongrass isn’t for everyone, and that’s perfectly fine. If you want immediate gratification, colorful blooms, or a grass that makes a bold statement, look elsewhere. But if you’re working on a native plant project, need something tough for challenging sites, or want to support local ecosystems with minimal effort, muttongrass deserves serious consideration.
This humble grass embodies the slow and steady wins the race philosophy – it may take time to establish, but once it does, it’s in it for the long haul, quietly doing its job without demanding attention or resources. Sometimes that’s exactly what a landscape needs.
