Native Grasses & Sedges of Ontario for Meadows, Shorelines & Shade

Native grasses and sedges of Ontario are essential for meadow plantings, shoreline stabilization, woodland ground layers, and low-maintenance habitat gardens. Their deep root systems build soil, control erosion, retain moisture, and support birds, pollinators, and other wildlife.

Grasses and sedges are ideal for:

difficult sites and poor soils
meadow and prairie plantings
shoreline and slope stabilization
rain gardens and wet areas
shade groundcovers (many native sedges)
natural privacy screens and wind movement

When planted in combination with wildflowers and shrubs, they create resilient, layered plant communities.

Grasses are a beautiful addition to any yard especially for difficult sites. Tall grasses can look great all year long and bring various heights, textures and hues to your gardens. Most are host plants to butterfly larvae and they provide shelter and food for many birds and mammals.

Sedges/carex species, like grasses, add interesting texture to woodland, meadow and wetland areas. Some serve as larval host plants and the seeds are a food source for many birds and mammals.

Based on current stock, seedings and orders, we anticipate having the following grass and sedge (carex) species available in the 2026 season.

Contact maya@naturalthemes.com to confirm availability.

Grasses and Sedges

wdt_ID	Species (Botanical)	Common Name(s)	Avg. Height	Blooming Time	Winter Interest	Amount of Sunlight	Moisture Pref.	Drought Tolerance	Soil Pref\'s	Wildlife Associations	Remarks
1	Andropogon gerardii	Big Bluestem, Turkey Claw, BeardGrass/Sedge	1 m +	summer/fall	YES	Full Sun	Dry, Mesic	YES	tolerant	Deer eat foliage, small mammals and birds eat seeds	a dominant species of the tall Grass/Sedge prairie; foliage turns a striking combination of reds, browns and purples in the fall; provides a great display in the winter; mass plant for best effect,not invasive
2	Bouteloua curtipendula	Side Oats Grama, Mesquite	65 cm	summer	YES	Full Sun/Part Shade	Dry	YES	tolerant	larval host plant of Wood Satyr and Pepper & Salt Skipper	flowers hang mainly from one side of the stem; very drought tolerant; mass plant for best effect, not invasive
3	Bouteloua gracilis	Blue Grama	30 cm	summer	NO	Sun, part shade	Dry	YES	tolerant	host plant for skipper butterfly	a clumping grass that doesn't spread aggressively
5	Bromus kalmii	Kalm's, Prairie Brome	60 cm	summer	YES	Full Sun/Part Shade	Mesic	YES	tolerant	food for birds	naturally grows in prairies and dry open woods
6	Calamagrostis canadensis	Canada Blue Joint	1 m	late spring	YES	Full Sun	Wet	NO	tolerant	foliage is browsed by mammals, seeds are food for birds	grow in wet meadows or along bodies of water
8	Carex bebbii	Bebb's Oval Sage	50 cm	early summer	NO	Full Sun	Moist	NO	marshy		grow with cardinal flower and obedient plant
9	Carex blanda	Common Wood Sedge	50 cm	late spring	NO	Full Sun to Shade	Moist	NO	tolerant		grows in a variety of habitats from open meadow to woodland
10	Carex crinita	Fringed Sedge	80 cm	early summer	NO	Full Sun to Shade	Moist	NO	tolerant	larval host plant for skippers	typically grows along waterways and is important in erosion control
11	Carex gracilescens	Slender Wood Sedge	50 cm	spring	NO	dappled shade	Mesic	NO	humusy		non-aggressive sedge
12	Carex grayi	Common Bur Sedge	80 cm	late spring/summer	NO	Full Sun to Shade	moist	NO	marshy	seeds are eaten by birds & mammals	Has an attractive flower and seed head resembling a star
	Species (Botanical)	Common Name(s)	Avg. Height	Blooming Time	Winter Interest	Amount of Sunlight	Moisture Pref.	Drought Tolerance	Soil Pref\'s	Wildlife Associations	Remarks