{"product_id":"blue-grama","title":"Blue Grama (Bouteloua Gracilis)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLocal Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Blue Grama\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eBouteloua gracilis\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFamily:\u003c\/strong\u003e Poaceae\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNative Status: \u003c\/strong\u003eDakota County Native\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLandscape Archetype:\u003c\/strong\u003e Prairie\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLife Cycle\u003c\/strong\u003e: Perennial \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSun Exposure: \u003c\/strong\u003eFull sun, Part Sun \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSoil Moisture:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dry to dry‑mesic\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSoil Type\u003c\/strong\u003e: Sandy, Gravel, Loam, tolerates some clay \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeight \u0026amp; Width Range:\u003c\/strong\u003e Height: Ankles (6–12\"), Knees (12–24\") Width: 12–18\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBloom Color: \u003c\/strong\u003ePurple to Brown \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMorphology Notes:\u003c\/strong\u003e A warm‑season, bunch‑forming grass with narrow, gray‑green leaves and a fine, wiry texture. Flowering culms rise above the foliage and bear distinctive one‑sided seedheads that resemble eyebrows or eyelashes. Leaves are mostly basal, slightly curled, and remain short at barely a foot tall. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFruits and Seeds:\u003c\/strong\u003e Produces small, flattened caryopses arranged along one‑sided spikes. Seedheads mature from green to straw‑colored in late summer and fall and often persist only briefly after ripening. Seeds are light and dispersed by gravity and wind, easy to harvest and easy to grow with no stratification or special needs. It can naturally reseed in open soil with low competition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHabit and habitat:\u003c\/strong\u003e A C4 character of dry prairies, shortgrass plains, hill prairies, and open gravelly sites, it thrives in full sun and poor soils where taller grasses are limited. Highly drought and fire tolerant, burn it or mow it if it gets untidy, but it usually it forms tight tiny clumps and won’t disappoint. This plant fades away in shaded, wet, or highly competitive tallgrass conditions. Planted in mass it builds a stage for an ensemble of short stature players to shine. Perfect for containers, boulevards, hellstrips, walkways, driveways, borders or compact sunny sites. Remains present in the garden throughout winter as tan pom-poms under the snow.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompanions: \u003c\/strong\u003eBuffalo Grass (\u003cem\u003eBouteloua dactyloides\u003c\/em\u003e), Side‑oats Grama (\u003cem\u003eBouteloua curtipendula\u003c\/em\u003e), Little Bluestem (\u003cem\u003eSchizachyrium scoparium\u003c\/em\u003e), Prairie Dropseed (\u003cem\u003eSporobolus heterolepis\u003c\/em\u003e) Plains Oval Sedge (\u003cem\u003eCarex brevior\u003c\/em\u003e), \u003cem\u003eCarex umbellata \u003c\/em\u003e(Parasol Sedge), Purple Prairie Clover (\u003cem\u003eDalea purpurea\u003c\/em\u003e), Prairie Smoke (\u003cem\u003eGeum triflorum\u003c\/em\u003e), Pasque Flower (\u003cem\u003eAnemone patens)\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eViola pedatifida\u003c\/em\u003e (Prairie Violet), \u003cem\u003eAsclepias verticillata\u003c\/em\u003e (Whorled Milkweed), \u003cem\u003eDrymocallis arguta\u003c\/em\u003e (Tall Cinquefoil), \u003cem\u003eAllium stellatum\u003c\/em\u003e (Prairie Onion), \u003cem\u003eLiatris punctata\u003c\/em\u003e (Dotted Blazing Star), \u003cem\u003eHeuchera richardsonii (\u003c\/em\u003ePrairie Alumroot), \u003cem\u003epenstemon\u003c\/em\u003e species.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEcological Associations:\u003c\/strong\u003e Blue Grama supports a range of insects, including leafhoppers, grasshoppers, and skipper larvae. It is a larval host for several grass‑feeding butterflies and moths, including species in the Hesperiidae family such as Leonard's Skipper (Hesperia leonardus) and the common branded skipper (Hesperia comma). Its seeds are eaten by birds, and its low growth provides forage and nest sites for small animals. This plant plays a foundational role in shortgrass dry prairie ecosystems in western MN and beyond giving it the tools to easily translate as a lifeline for the most depleted urban environments. In our experience bunnies and deer avoid it. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance: \u003c\/strong\u003eMN \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNH Propagation Technique: \u003c\/strong\u003eSeed \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecial Powers:\u003c\/strong\u003e Can survive the most brutal landscapes. Our little mop top with eye lashes. Get low and admire the subtle beauty of grace under fire. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Northern Holler, LLC","offers":[{"title":"2.5\" POWER PLUG","offer_id":48188153889018,"sku":"BOUT-GRAC-01","price":3.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"3.5” 1ST YR Perennial and Biennial","offer_id":48188512731386,"sku":"BOUT-GRAC-02","price":5.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3.5” 2ND YR Perennial","offer_id":48188512764154,"sku":"BOUT-GRAC-03","price":7.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"SOD FLAT","offer_id":48188512796922,"sku":"BOUT-GRAC-04","price":65.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0806\/9929\/3946\/files\/20230816_195922419_iOS.jpg?v=1775273815","url":"https:\/\/northernholler.com\/products\/blue-grama","provider":"Northern Holler, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}