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I want to look into getting seeds for my back yard if they will grow there. Found in Ontario, Canada.
Noted! Thank you!
There's a Native phragmities species as well. The invasive ones are problematic because they're dense roots decrease habitat in wetlands for crayfish and stuff and then the dry stalks create a fire hazard.
The native and invasive species can be identified by the color of the stem of the native is reddish brown during the growing season
Not to mention they are horrible for birds of prey. If a hawk or something dives into that to go after a bird or small mammal there's a really good chance it will break its wings on the stalks because they're so stiff and unforgiving.
I was taught that the native is "long grain," and the invasive is "short grain." This is the invasive short grain, which becomes a monoculture.
There is, although where I live (one of the counties with an incredibly high phrag load) I’ve never seen the native type despite lots of time spent in natural areas.
Yeah I think it's pretty rare unless you intentionally plant it or seek it out in a known location.
If you are looking for something for your yard, there are some great options.
If you have a wet area (ditch or pond) like in the picture, Typha latifolia (cattail) is what would normally grow unless it is displaced by phragmites.
If you have a dryer area, Sorghastrum nutans (indiangrass) or Andropogon gerardi (big bluestem) are the staple grasses of most of eastern North America.
If you want something a bit smaller, Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) would be a great choice.
(USDA zone 5) I planted a (soft rush) Juncus effusus right infront of a downspout that was starting to wash away the soil so far its worked great at preventing erosion and it's starting to really take off in it's new home. I really like the things it puts out when it goes to seed idk what it's called but yeah it's a good one for wet areas as well.
Just found same native rush in my backyard so I relocated it for decorative purposes and it’s about to flower! ☺️
Juncus is also a super diverse genus, and there is also likely a native Juncus in your area! :) There are native Juncus on every continent but Antartica! If you have the chance to look up, get your hands on & plant a native species in your wetland (pond, rain basin, ditch… anywhere wet) your wetland will be better for it. Carex is a really similar wetland loving genus in terms of huge diversity and wide distribution.
I'm growing pink Muhly grass, but I'm in zone 8b. Not sure if it's native to Canada or not. I just know it's beautiful when it blooms in the fall!
Me too! I have 3 plants in North Carolina.
Muhlenbergia capillaris, horticulturally known as pink muhly, but it looks like its also commonly called hairawn muhly, doesn’t quite reach as far north as Canada in its native range. It is native to the eastern US. There also may be a native muhly in your area, there are a few that do get to Canada (although much less likely to be in comercial cultivation). Im in southern California & we have 7 native muhlys!
Awesome! 7 of them! I bought 3 native starter Muhly plants. I gave one to my Mom. I put one near (not too near) my Yucca plants and one in my backyard.
Edit to say that I'm not sure I'll have them bloom this fall. Don't they usually bloom second year?
Maybe look into Miscanthus as an alternative?
NO. Miscanthus is JUST as invasive!!
I didn't know that, thank you
Someone planted this grass at my sister’s property in the 90s in Williamstown, New Jersey and now it’s all over the fields and Woodland near where they were planted for decorative purposes. I too liked them until I saw how they spread all over in places that one would never desire them to be.
When I bought my house it had this in the front garden box. How cute. We loved it.
Anyway, we had to dig THREE FEET DOWN to remove it and it still came back. It haunts me
Only way I've managed it, as a land manager, are cutting before seeding and a glyphosate / imazapyr mix, followed by burning in the off season.
Oh wow! Well now I feel better. It’s like right by the house’s foundation too :(
I’ll look into the mix you’re talking about. This plant and the groundhog in my backyard live in my head rent free all spring and summer
If you want way more info than necessary.
Oh I do! Lol thank you
Yes! This stuff is brutal. I have resorted to injecting the stems with a mixture of acid and salt. Hoping it doesn't ruin the soil too much, but the water will wash it away soon enough. I will see how this worked out for us this year...I did that last summer after 4 years of watching the patch spread.
It is a small patch of phragmites right now, but damn, do I not want it to look like all the wetlands along the roads here.
I hate this stuff with a passion.
Burn it! It's taking over everywhere . Then round--up new growth
I cut and spray in late summer before it goes to seed. Burn it after. Do it again in spring. If anything reshoots over summer repeat.
HORRIBLY INVASIVE!!!!!
It is very invasive in my local area
Same - Chicago.
We planted a few tufts of this around the house/yard here and there. It was really nice until it wasn't. It spread so large and dense that digging it out was a real chore.
There's a variety that may(still being figured out) native to the US. Phragmites australis var. berlandieri
AKA Bullrush
I think bullrush is a different plant this is common reed not bullrush
Wow son of a B - everyone I know calls this bullrush - I knew it was Phragmites but that common name is really wrong. thanks u/razytazz. GD Reddit making me learn stuff….
Phragmites australis possibly. Thrives in disturbed environments and can be highly invasive and aggressive.
The go train between Oshawa and Toronto passes by countless massive fields of this stuff where nothing else grows.
Nothing else grows there because of the phragmites. If it were ever controlled native species would fill in the space. We removed TONNES of it from around our pond and it’s been a treat watching the native stuff begin to thrive.
I know - it's depressing. There's a conservation group nearby that does a big volunteer phragmites pull a couple of times a year. I plan on joining in but just the immense scale of the problem is so discouraging.
My housemate and longtime friend is a horticulturist and even knowing what he’s doing the sheer amount of time, effort and manpower it took to finally get it under control here was shocking to me. That stuff truly is monstrously aggressive and nigh impossible to kill. Good on you and the conservation group for making the effort!
It’s tricky, because when it takes over an area, the takeover also makes it integral to the area. You can’t remove it without causing even more damage and erosion, which is why states tend not to do anything about it, and in fact in some places even though it’s recognized as an invasive nuisance species, it’s also illegal to remove it due to the secondary effects.
A naturalist told me that if everyone in North America spent one hour a year pulling phragmites, it would be extirpated from the continent in less than 5 years. Of course that would be logistically impossible as people and phragmites are not evenly distributed, plus you'd have to motivate people to Wade out into mucky marshes. Also, he could have been full of shit.
I live on the edge of a creek and I’ve seen it move 30 feet in the last 30 years across what was once Marshland, covered with a variety of plants and bushes, and now it’s just phragmites. It’s blowing seeds onto my side of the creek and popping up everywhere on my stream banks. I’ll fight it till the end of my life lol.
This is our situation too. ☹ Exactly.
The entirety of Southern Ontario is Phragmites and Teasel, with a couple dashes of Multiflora
Feckin' phragmites. We have it all over here in Ontario. We have been waging battle on it for a few years now in a wet spot in our yard. It's taking over the creek, for goodness sake.
We planted a meadow in our front yard and the grasses we chose are sorgastrum nutans and andropogon gerardi. They both grow 6 to 8 feet tall and both sport colors in the fall. We have a few clumps of turkey foot that get very red. These are native, wonderful grasses.
Stay away from Miscanthus, phragmites, zebra grass, pampas.
Edit: spelling
Phragmites australis. HIGHLY invasive in Ontario. IT IS ILLEGAL TO PROPAGATE, TRANSPORT OR SELL THIS PLANT THIS PLANT IN ONTARIO, and for good reason.
Not to be confused with the slightly smaller native phragmites. More info: https://www.opwg.ca/phragmites/native-vs-invasive/
If you would like a tall densely growing plant for your garden to act as a privacy wall I would recommend any of our native tallgrass prairie species, or better yet a mix of several tallgrass prairie species. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) can get up to 8ft tall and masses similarly. We also have many native species of Silphium (like cup plant and compass plant) which can get up to 8 ft tall with beautiful yellow sunflower-like blooms. Googling “Ontario tallgrass prairie plants” will give you many beautiful options.
Our native cattails (Typha latifolia) or even native phragmites might also be well suited to a wetter spot.
A hedge of eastern whitecedar (Thuja occidentalis) or eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginianica) may also work well for your purposes if you are willing to give them several years to get to full height.
not sure of the name of the species but they tend to get real damn tall, and has potential to be seriouly invasive, would make a horrible backyard plant choice
I hate them with passion. Burn them all.
had a neighbor with this in his yard. every year he would set it on fire with large flamethrower torch. it never went away
Yes Phragmites. It's actually Cosmopolitan
Meaning it grows all over the world.I'm using it at the mo in a Mine rehab in Aus
I think it's likely that Phragmites australis is less invasive in Australia than it is in North America!
You may be able to find similar, non invasive cool grasses at "origin native plants" which is in Guelph and has online ordering. They do have a minimum order amount because they are a small business and often ship live plants and roots, and that's expensive to package up.
There are also plenty of other native plant sellers in Canada, but that's one I've enjoyed watching the accounts of for a few years now.
phragmites. fun fact, aside from goose quills, this was an important material for broad nibbed ink pens.
Barry! We met years ago at a hippy festival, man was that grass popular there! Haven't seen him in ages, he looks well! Say hi to Barry for me!
I’ve been tempted to introduce food colouring to different patches of this stuff to see if the plant grows the colour I put in. When fall comes and they dry out I want to gather them all up and sell them to a crafts store.
Dick weed
I need to google it to see the young plant. I might have some around the edge of our yard that buts up against a 4 acre field. 👩🏼🌾🌱
It’s tall grass!
Ryely
Pampas… and if you plant it, you’ll have it forever.
Not sure about the specific name but know it needs to be trimmed before it greens in the spring.
Big blue stem is native to Ontario.
I heard there's a rock in there that you really gotta touch
Weeds
Looks like an Albert to me. Could be Jerry
I believe that’s razorgrain
That’s decor 🤭
May I just say if you live in Australia switch all of this advice upside down.
these go along our highways near the swamps.
Bob.
Dont do it
Inmewhey hahaha I have it by my driveway and it is impossible to see through in the summer or get rid of permanently. Highly recommended avoiding.
The reeds are great for basketmaking.
I thought it might be prairie Indian grass! But I don't know how tall this is....
Common reed
Seaoats
new ornamental grasses are in nurseries now. short, medium, tall & many colors. much to choose from
Don’t go to a nursery to buy ornamental grasses. Buy native grasses from somewhere that sells native plants to Ontario.
that’s the best option, true
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Phragmites. HORRIBLY invasive. DO NOT use this, it will take over your yard and never go away.