An evergreen North American native perennial bunchgrass, Koeleria macrantha, commonly known as Prairie Junegrass, forms a lovely rounded tuft of narrow, bluish-green blades to about a foot tall and wide. Sturdy stems rise another foot above the foliage in late spring to early summer, topped with dense, spear-shaped florets that open a lovely light green, turning to silvery green and then ripening to blonde-tan seedheads as the season progresses. The flowers are excellent for cutting and displaying in a vase or fresh or dried floral arrangement. This no-fuss species is drought tolerant when established and grows from coastal woodlands and prairies to high mountains in well-drained rocky, clay, sandy, or loam soils with five or more hours of sunlight daily. You might be happy to know the deer leave it alone, and it grows well under and around black walnut trees. 

Note: Prairie Junegrass is considered a cool-season grass, so while it might be evergreen in cooler climates, the foliage might go dormant in summer in hot-summer climates but return to its active growth state in fall when temperatures cool. 

Growing 2 feet tall and 18 inches wide, Prairie Junegrass is ideal for use as an accent in small garden spaces and containers or grouped or in masses or drifts in sunny landscape borders or on slopes for erosion control. It is a fine addition to meadow gardens, ornamental grass gardens, rock gardens, cut flower gardens, sunny woodland borders, and the Xeriscape (low water needs). It will self-seed in optimum growing conditions.

Prairie Junegrass is super easy to grow in moist, well-drained clay, loamy, sandy, or rocky soil of average or low fertility. It is exceptionally drought tolerant when established. Avoid planting it in sites where the soil can be soggy for extended periods. It thrives in harsh urban environments and on green roofs, provided the soil is well-drained. Plants can be cut back to near the ground before new growth emerges in late winter or early spring.