7 Native Grasses that Grow in New Jersey


Native grasses help prevent soil erosion and support the local ecology. What are native grasses to consider growing in New Jersey?
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Gardeners in New Jersey benefit from the state’s mild climate because it allows them to grow a variety of plants year-round. It’s good to note that native plants are better adapted to the stressors of their home climates, such as temperature and precipitation levels. 

Native plants also support a diverse variety of organisms when grown under ideal circumstances. By using native plants in your garden, you can create a more natural, low-maintenance environment.

1. Switchgrass

Switchgrass is a summer perennial grass. It grows quickly without much fertilizer and is resistant to a wide range of pests and plant diseases.

Switchgrass tolerates poor soil. It also grows well with and without water. It typically reaches 3 – 5 feet tall and can have light yellow or red stems. 

green tall grasses growing in the field

2. Indiangrass

Indiangrass adds natural flair to fall landscapes with its beautiful golden bronze seed heads and blue-green leaves. Indiangrass is one of the first grasses to produce seeds when the weather gets warm.

Indiangrass is drought-resistant and provides a haven for wildlife like songbirds.  

a green grass with beautiful golden heads

3. Little Bluestem

Little bluestem is a warm-season perennial bunchgrass that grows in attractively dense mounds. Its blue-green leaves grow to be 18 – 24 inches tall. In the fall, its leaves turn a rusty color, and it grows fluffy white seed heads.

Although it can grow in a variety of soil conditions, little bluestem thrives in well-drained non-organic soil. It is also excellent for preventing erosion.

Because it tends to self-seed and become invasive, little bluestem is a formidable competitor to conventional grass.

horizontally growing grass with blue green leaves

4. Big Bluestem

Big bluestem is a warm-season ornamental grass that’s perfect for including in naturalistic garden themes or landscape design. Its beautiful foliage changes from green in the summer to a rich bronze color in the fall. 

Big bluestem complements other perennial plants without dominating garden spaces. Late summer heat stimulates a growth spurt for this grass along with the appearance of seed heads that resemble turkey feet.

big bluestem growing in the farmland

5. Deer-Tongue

Deer-tongue is an annual ornamental grass that grows in moist, sandy soils and wet wooded regions. Its exotic bamboo-like appearance is appreciated in various landscape designs. 

This grass gets its name from its distinctive leaves, which resemble a deer’s tongue. Its foliage provides an excellent evergreen groundcover for gardens. 

a small deer tongue grass

6. Lovegrasses

The seasonal colors and textures of lovegrasses are stunning. In the spring, they produce a mound of blue-green leaves. In the summer, it produces rosy spikes on top of the leaves. The leaves turn a rich bronze color and the seed head turns a delicate beige in the fall.

Lovegrasses grow best in sunny areas with dry soil.

growing purple love grass

7. Saltmeadow Cordgrass

Saltmeadow cordgrass, or salt hay, is hay-like grass found in the upper areas of brackish coastal salt marshes. This slender, wiry shrub grows in thick mats up to two feet tall. It grows green in the spring and summer and turns a pale brown in the late fall and winter. 

When wind and water move through this grass, they can create the appearance of a field full of tufts and cowlicks. 

Saltmeadow cordgrass produces rich purple flowers from late summer to fall. The flowers turn brown during the winter.

green saltmeadow cordgrass found in the field
Jeffrey Douglas
Jeffrey Douglas own a landscaping company and has been in the business for over 20 years. He loves all things related to lawns or gardens and believes that proper maintenance is the key to preventing problems in the first place.
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