Ornamental Grasses How Can You Help Reduce the Spread of Invasive Species? Invasive Species to Avoid and Learn to Identify Invasive Species
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
- roundtable - designers - plants/ - landscape - http://hayefield.com/2011/04/25/garden top Ornamental Grasses How can you help reduce the spread of invasive species? Invasive species to avoid and Learn to identify invasive species. Early detection is very important in the management process. beautiful native species to try! Try gardening with native species. If that is not an option, be sure to ask garden centres about non-invasive plants. Ornamental grasses are a popular choice among gardeners. Stay on designated trails. Be sure to clean off clothing and any Nottawasaga Valley They add colour and texture as they sway in the wind and are equipment after being in an area that may have invasive Conservation Authority great options for privacy or borders. species. 8195 8th Line Become familiar with which grasses are considered invasive Properly bag and dispose of invasive species at your local and try switching them for a native alternative! Make sure to landfill. Utopia, ON, L0M 1T0 ask your local garden centres about the plant you are purchasing and inquire about native species. http://www.howardsview.com/SparrowStudy/ Check species origins at invasiveplantatlas.org 705-424-1479 Sparrows.html [email protected] Benefits to Landscaping nvca.on.ca with Native Grasses Report invasive species! Creates habitat for native birds, animals and pollinators Ontario Invasive Species Program: invadingspecies.com Improves landscape connectivity Ontario Invasive Plant Council: ontarioinvasiveplants.ca Reduces soil erosion Improves water infiltration into the soil Low cost Low maintenance West For the Birds! Many tallgrass prairie birds such as the http://www.ontarionature.org/connect/blog/saving- bobolinks/ Collingwood endangered Henslow's Sparrow (top) and threatened Bobolink Shoreline (bottom) rely on these grasses for survival. By switching to — native grasses you are helping provide new habitat. Tall Community grasses conceal their ground nests from predators and seeds Phragmites are a source of food! Contact the NVCA if you require this Action Plan document in an alternative format. Ornamental Grass to Avoid Ornamental Grass to Try There are many grasses that originate from Eurasia that are now becoming invasive in Ontario. Commonly found along shorelines and ditches, these plants threaten ecosystems by forming dense stands that crowd out native species. They also impact recreation and tourism by impeding shoreline views and access to water. Get to know which invasive grasses to avoid, and try substituting for native grasses. Little Bluestem Switchgrass Big Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) (Panicum virgatum) (Andropogon gerardii) Height is between 60 cm and Colourful blue/green-burgundy Growing to be 1-2.5 m tall, Big 1.2 m tall. It is a great option for foliage in the fall is known to Bluestem is an excellent a border or to add colour in the attract birds. It has purple/brown screening option. It has silvery- fall and winter. It grows from -green flowers that bloom July- red flowers which are said to look bluish-green roots which September. Switchgrass can like a “turkey foot.” Sparrows turn mahogany red in the fall reach heights of 2.5 m tall and and other songbirds eat these with purple/bronze seeds and requires full sun. It is found in a seeds. It has distinct blue, grey white tufts. It requires full sun variety of habitats and soil types. to dark red and brown foliage Chinese Silver Grass Plume Grass Pampas Grass and can tolerate most soil types. Photo: https://davisla.wordpress.com/ and flower colour. (Miscanthus grasses) (Erianthus ravennae) (Cortaderia selloana) Photo: http://www.ufseeds.com Photo: https://www.prairiemoon.com Photo: Fox Hollow Farms Photo: Kaw Valley Greenhouse Photo: Fine Gardening Prairie Dropseed Indian Grass Bottlebrush Grass (Sporobolus heterolepis) (Sorghastrum nutans) (Elymus hystrix) A great groundcover, growing in Indian Grass reaches heights of 1 A woodland grass that can clumps approximately 60 cm tall. -2 m, ending in a golden seed tolerate more shade than other Orange plumes appear in the late head. This is an attractive grass tall grass prairie grasses. It summer/early fall and foliage in all seasons and is often used in reaches heights of 1.5 m and Giant Reed Grass Common Reed Grass Creeping Lily Turf turns golden in the fall. It is landscaping. It is drought requires well-drained soils. Its drought tolerant and requires full tolerant and useful for erosion open, bristly spike looks like a (Arundo donax L.) (Phragmites australis) (Liriope spicata) sun. It attracts birds and is deer control. Provides wildlife habitat. bottle brush, hence the name. Photo: Joanna M. Foster Photo: NVCA Photo: Lynn Coulter resistant. Photo: https://extension.umass.edu Flowers are a white/cream or Photo by Mike Perry, http://shavenook.com green/brown colour that appear in June-August. Photo: Ken Parker Ornamental Grass to Avoid Ornamental Grass to Try There are many grasses that originate from Eurasia that are now becoming invasive in Ontario. Commonly found along shorelines and ditches, these plants threaten ecosystems by forming dense stands that crowd out native species. They also impact recreation and tourism by impeding shoreline views and access to water. Get to know which invasive grasses to avoid, and try substituting for native grasses. Little Bluestem Switchgrass Big Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) (Panicum virgatum) (Andropogon gerardii) Height is between 60 cm and Colourful blue/green-burgundy Growing to be 1-2.5 m tall, Big 1.2 m tall. It is a great option for foliage in the fall is known to Bluestem is an excellent a border or to add colour in the attract birds. It has purple/brown screening option. It has silvery- fall and winter. It grows from -green flowers that bloom July- red flowers which are said to look bluish-green roots which September. Switchgrass can like a “turkey foot.” Sparrows turn mahogany red in the fall reach heights of 2.5 m tall and and other songbirds eat these with purple/bronze seeds and requires full sun. It is found in a seeds. It has distinct blue, grey white tufts. It requires full sun variety of habitats and soil types. to dark red and brown foliage Chinese Silver Grass Plume Grass Pampas Grass and can tolerate most soil types. Photo: https://davisla.wordpress.com/ and flower colour. (Miscanthus grasses) (Erianthus ravennae) (Cortaderia selloana) Photo: http://www.ufseeds.com Photo: https://www.prairiemoon.com Photo: Fox Hollow Farms Photo: Kaw Valley Greenhouse Photo: Fine Gardening Prairie Dropseed Indian Grass Bottlebrush Grass (Sporobolus heterolepis) (Sorghastrum nutans) (Elymus hystrix) A great groundcover, growing in Indian Grass reaches heights of 1 A woodland grass that can clumps approximately 60 cm tall. -2 m, ending in a golden seed tolerate more shade than other Orange plumes appear in the late head. This is an attractive grass tall grass prairie grasses. It summer/early fall and foliage in all seasons and is often used in reaches heights of 1.5 m and Giant Reed Grass Common Reed Grass Creeping Lily Turf turns golden in the fall. It is landscaping. It is drought requires well-drained soils. Its drought tolerant and requires full tolerant and useful for erosion open, bristly spike looks like a (Arundo donax L.) (Phragmites australis) (Liriope spicata) sun. It attracts birds and is deer control. Provides wildlife habitat. bottle brush, hence the name. Photo: Joanna M. Foster Photo: NVCA Photo: Lynn Coulter resistant. Photo: https://extension.umass.edu Flowers are a white/cream or Photo by Mike Perry, http://shavenook.com green/brown colour that appear in June-August. Photo: Ken Parker - roundtable - designers - plants/ - landscape - http://hayefield.com/2011/04/25/garden top Ornamental Grasses How can you help reduce the spread of invasive species? Invasive species to avoid and Learn to identify invasive species. Early detection is very important in the management process. beautiful native species to try! Try gardening with native species. If that is not an option, be sure to ask garden centres about non-invasive plants. Ornamental grasses are a popular choice among gardeners. Stay on designated trails. Be sure to clean off clothing and any Nottawasaga Valley They add colour and texture as they sway in the wind and are equipment after being in an area that may have invasive Conservation Authority great options for privacy or borders. species. 8195 8th Line Become familiar with which grasses are considered invasive Properly bag and dispose of invasive species at your local and try switching them for a native alternative! Make sure to landfill. Utopia, ON, L0M 1T0 ask your local garden centres about the plant you are purchasing and inquire about native species. http://www.howardsview.com/SparrowStudy/ Check species origins at invasiveplantatlas.org 705-424-1479 Sparrows.html [email protected] Benefits to Landscaping nvca.on.ca with Native Grasses Report invasive species! Creates habitat for native birds, animals and pollinators Ontario Invasive Species Program: invadingspecies.com Improves landscape connectivity Ontario Invasive Plant Council: ontarioinvasiveplants.ca Reduces soil erosion Improves water infiltration into the soil Low cost Low maintenance West For the Birds! Many tallgrass prairie birds such as the http://www.ontarionature.org/connect/blog/saving- bobolinks/ Collingwood endangered Henslow's Sparrow (top) and threatened Bobolink Shoreline (bottom) rely on these grasses for survival. By switching to — native grasses you are helping provide new habitat. Tall Community grasses conceal their ground nests from predators and seeds Phragmites are a source of food! Contact the NVCA if you require this Action Plan document in an alternative format. .