Bouteloua curtipendula

A perennial bunch grass with 2-3 foot stalks of tiny, purple-tinged flowers that emerge in the heat of summer. The common name of the species derives from the arrangement of floral spikelets along one side of the inflorescence. Its blue-green foliage forms low, clumping mounds, turning purple-ish in fall and eventually going winter dormant. As the flowers mature into seeds and dry to golden, they hang decoratively off arching stems, bearing a resemblance to oat grass. Native to a large swath of central North America, its range reaches into the hotter, drier areas of Southern California and the Southwest. Side-oats grama requires minimal irrigation once established, but adapts to various soil types and watering regimens. Plant in full sun or part shade. It can be used in meadows or rock gardens, and its seeds attract birds.