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Anyone familiar with this plant? I've had some magically appear in an unmaintained area of my yard. Most of the area is now covered by four-o'clocks. I have a bare spot on the west side of my house that needs some ground cover and am wondering if the sea oats would work.
Sure, go ahead and try them but you might need to get a positive ID on them (do you want 8 feet tall grass growing at the side of your house?), and you might find the root systems on them can get invasive if you don't keep an eye on them. Do you know for sure that they are sea oats and not wood oats? They are so closely related and similar in appearance, edibility and other properties it's often difficult for some people to tell them apart.
The biggest difference between them is that sea oats mainly grow around beaches and sandy river banks and can grow up to 8 feet tall and wood oats mainly grow in rich pasture or woody inland areas and can grow up to 5 feet tall. I see both types growing near my location both in the wild and planted in people's gardens. The sea oats do get a lot taller than the wood oats. Both types like plenty of sunshine.
To help you determine what you already have and which type you think would be best for your location you should find these two articles/tutorials to be quite helpful information, including the Q&A sections at the end of each article.
I've got sea oats growing in my backyard. They are incredibly hardy and spread into my yard from the beach with underground runners. The further from the beach they get, the less vigorous they grow. Love the look of them in my all-natural yard among the gaillardias and dune sunflowers. Zero maintenance required.
Sure, go ahead and try them but you might need to get a positive ID on them (do you want 8 feet tall grass growing at the side of your house?), and you might find the root systems on them can get invasive if you don't keep an eye on them. Do you know for sure that they are sea oats and not wood oats? They are so closely related and similar in appearance, edibility and other properties it's often difficult for some people to tell them apart.
The biggest difference between them is that sea oats mainly grow around beaches and sandy river banks and can grow up to 8 feet tall and wood oats mainly grow in rich pasture or woody inland areas and can grow up to 5 feet tall. I see both types growing near my location both in the wild and planted in people's gardens. The sea oats do get a lot taller than the wood oats. Both types like plenty of sunshine.
To help you determine what you already have and which type you think would be best for your location you should find these two articles/tutorials to be quite helpful information, including the Q&A sections at the end of each article.
I have a variety called Inland Sea Oats. That is is all I know about them other than they are pretty drought tolerant, make pretty seed heads late in the season, and seem to spread pretty quickly. They are native to my area. I purchased 6 one gallons pots of them about 2-3 years ago and planted them in a large bed at the top of my back drive. They have completely filled in the area and spread beyond. The one thing I dislike about them is that their stalks are weak. A little direct water from the garden hose knocks them over, and once knocked over, nothing I can do will convince them to stand up again, so they look like a huge ball of weeds in that position. I decided to take them out this season, but it turned out that I will be relocating soon, so I plan to leave them in place. I hope whoever ends up here after me is kind to them. I paid around $12 a gallon for them.
I have a variety called Inland Sea Oats. That is is all I know about them other than they are pretty drought tolerant, make pretty seed heads late in the season, and seem to spread pretty quickly. They are native to my area. I purchased 6 one gallons pots of them about 2-3 years ago and planted them in a large bed at the top of my back drive. They have completely filled in the area and spread beyond. The one thing I dislike about them is that their stalks are weak. A little direct water from the garden hose knocks them over, and once knocked over, nothing I can do will convince them to stand up again, so they look like a huge ball of weeds in that position. I decided to take them out this season, but it turned out that I will be relocating soon, so I plan to leave them in place. I hope whoever ends up here after me is kind to them. I paid around $12 a gallon for them.
I would plant the Wood Oats again, but this time I would confine them to a smaller area and keep them confined. Just 3-4 of them in a corner looks nice, and if you do not water them from above and make sure not bend their stalks, they look quite lovely and relaxing. The huge bed I have of them right now is just too much. That many of them, with many of them fallen over, makes them look like a mess. Just a few plants strategically placed, however, me thinks makes a nice accent in the garden.
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