prairie junegrass
Koeleria macrantha
USDA zones3 to 9
SunNeeds full sun (6+ hours)
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size12 to 24 inches tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Habit
- Grass/grass-like
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer
- Bloom color
- Yellow
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Prairie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha) is a grass for meadows and low maintenance gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun and dry to moist, sandy or loamy soil. It is a cool-season bunchgrass with gray-green leaves and silvery green, spike-like seedheads. Growth starts early in spring, and the seedheads turn tan by mid-summer. The grass goes dormant in late summer, so pair it with plants that mask that rest.
Pairs well with Old man's whiskers, Butterfly milkweed, and Tennessee coneflower.
Native range
AK, AL, AR, AZ, and 39 more places. See all 43
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DE, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SD, TX, UT, VT, WA, WI, WY; AB, BC, MB, NL, ON, and SK.