Xerophyllum tenax (Beargrass)
An unusual, stout evergreen native perennial usually seen hiking at elevation, Beargrass also makes a striking feature plant in a native landscape. Its foliage resembles a mounding fountain of tough blue-green grass-like foliage, from which emerges a giant flower stalk with poker-shaped clusters of hundreds of creamy-white pollinator-attracting blooms that can surpass 3-4 ft. tall. The seed-stalks remain visible for an extended duration into the fall, providing food for many birds and beneficial insects.
You"ll find Beargrass in a variety of habitats, including bog edges to open meadows, the edges of coniferous forests to mountain slopes. Grow it in full sun to partial shade, in many soil types. It is drought tolerant once established.
Beargrass can take a few years to reach maturity to flower, and, depending on site-specific and environmental conditions, it may be inconsistent: blooming every year and then skipping a year or two. However, the leaves remain reliably handsome year after year. Beargrass continually replaces old foliage with new offshoots, making it a long-lived plant.
An unusual, stout evergreen native perennial usually seen hiking at elevation, Beargrass also makes a striking feature plant in a native landscape. Its foliage resembles a mounding fountain of tough blue-green grass-like foliage, from which emerges a giant flower stalk with poker-shaped clusters of hundreds of creamy-white pollinator-attracting blooms that can surpass 3-4 ft. tall. The seed-stalks remain visible for an extended duration into the fall, providing food for many birds and beneficial insects.
You"ll find Beargrass in a variety of habitats, including bog edges to open meadows, the edges of coniferous forests to mountain slopes. Grow it in full sun to partial shade, in many soil types. It is drought tolerant once established.
Beargrass can take a few years to reach maturity to flower, and, depending on site-specific and environmental conditions, it may be inconsistent: blooming every year and then skipping a year or two. However, the leaves remain reliably handsome year after year. Beargrass continually replaces old foliage with new offshoots, making it a long-lived plant.
An unusual, stout evergreen native perennial usually seen hiking at elevation, Beargrass also makes a striking feature plant in a native landscape. Its foliage resembles a mounding fountain of tough blue-green grass-like foliage, from which emerges a giant flower stalk with poker-shaped clusters of hundreds of creamy-white pollinator-attracting blooms that can surpass 3-4 ft. tall. The seed-stalks remain visible for an extended duration into the fall, providing food for many birds and beneficial insects.
You"ll find Beargrass in a variety of habitats, including bog edges to open meadows, the edges of coniferous forests to mountain slopes. Grow it in full sun to partial shade, in many soil types. It is drought tolerant once established.
Beargrass can take a few years to reach maturity to flower, and, depending on site-specific and environmental conditions, it may be inconsistent: blooming every year and then skipping a year or two. However, the leaves remain reliably handsome year after year. Beargrass continually replaces old foliage with new offshoots, making it a long-lived plant.