Indian Grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Where Rhode Island meets the Northeast, summer texture, bronze-gold plumes autumn color, and winter standing presence on a 4–7 ft-tall native grass.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
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Rhode Island · Zones 6–7
Native Ornamental Grasses in Rhode Island
Native grasses and sedges that bring movement, winter structure, and bird seed — the matrix that ties a planting together. Rhode Island sits in a landscape of Narragansett coastal lowland, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cool, humid, maritime character. The list below — led by Indian Grass and Little Bluestem — is filtered to species genuinely native to Rhode Island and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 6–7. Native grasses are the connective tissue of a natural planting, weaving between the flowers, holding the soil, and standing handsome through the whole winter. Warm-season grasses want full sun and lean soil and green up late, so don't give up on them in May. Cut everything back to a hand's height in late winter, just before new growth, and that's the entire job.
The plants
6 native species for Rhode Island
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Where Rhode Island meets the Northeast, movement in summer, blue-green to copper color in fall — a native grass that holds all winter, good through zone 9.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Where Rhode Island meets the Northeast, summer texture, bronze-purple seed heads autumn color, and winter standing presence on a 4–7 ft-tall native grass.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Where Rhode Island meets the Northeast, soft motion in every breeze and seed for the birds, on a 6–12 in-tall native grass.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 6–12 in
- Foliage
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Where Rhode Island meets the Northeast, a native grass that glows fine emerald to amber and stands through winter, 2–3 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Where Rhode Island meets the Northeast, summer texture, airy pink-gold panicles autumn color, and winter standing presence on a 3–6 ft-tall native grass.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
Sourcing
Where to find these in Rhode Island
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.