Native Blue Grama – The Ultimate In Drought Tolerant Grasses

Blue Grama is a short, warm-season grass native to Western North America. Scientifically known as Bouteloua gracilis, it grows 6-24” tall in full sun and well drained soil. Naturally adapted to drought prone and well-draining areas, this grass can survive nearly all droughts, but will go fully dormant in colder areas in the winter^[1][2][3].

If you’ve ever travelled the Western United States, it is likely that you have encountered Blue Grama. This warm season grass is naturally found in ecosystems with well-draining, or dry soils. It is an important part of that ecosystem, feeding various grasshoppers and other creatures as well as an important part of the diet for many herbivores such as that mighty creature of the plains, the American Buffalo.

But not confined to the plains, it’s ability to fix nitrogen to the soil allow it to grow well in infertile barren areas in which other plants cannot survive. Thus Blue Grama can and is used as rough areas of golf courses, planted as a low-maintenance lawn, and has particularly good applications for erosion control, stabilization, and mine reclamation.

I first planted this grass in the hopes of it being useful as a short grass surviving in dry areas along the forest behind my home. I have since learned, and adapted that this really won’t work in Pennsylvania, as it is just too wet. The thing is, even though this is a shorter grass, it must compete against taller plants that naturally find their way to the same area. And since the Pennsylvania (my location) climate is temperate and has enough moisture, if I don’t mow those spots where the Blue Grama grows, then the taller plants will steal all the sunlight and thus the Blue Grama dies out.

You can pretty much guarantee that this scenario will play out anywhere that doesn’t experience severe drought. If you are looking for a shorter no-mow or low-maintenance grass, then you should consider Pennsylvania Sedge if the area never fully dries out. Also, consider Buffalo Grass.

Native Range

The primary native range of Blue Grama is the drier plains and rocky mountains of North America, including Manitoba to British Columbia.

Reference Table^[1][2][3]

Scientific Name	Bouteloua gracilis
Common Name(s)	Blue Grama, Mosquito Grass
Native Range, USDA Zone	Western North America, USDA Hardiness zones 3-10
Bloom Time	June-August
Bloom Duration, Color	Four weeks
Height	6-24″
Spacing / Spread	1-2′
Light Requirements	Full sun
Soil Types	Sandy to clay loam, must be well-draining
Moisture	Dry to medium-moisture
Fauna Associations / Larval Hosts	Insects feed on the grass, hosts caterpillars of 13 different skippers/moths

Benefits

Short growth / low maintenance

With a maximum height of 24″, this grass doesn’t get tall. And the 24″ length is misleading, as the grass will tend to lay down a bit, so the true height from ground is often less. This, combined with slower growth means Blue Grama is a low-maintenance grass.

Drought tolerant

One of the most drought tolerant grasses in North America, Blue Grama can grow in some of the most inhospitable places!

Attractive flowerheads

The dangling spikelets of Blue Grama are attractive and interesting to look at. When all are blooming it can make a nice looking backdrop.

Identification and Characteristics

Stalk

Although many references state it can grow upwards of 24″, I personally have never seen this grass taller than 12″ tall. The stalk are a light green when young to brown later in the season^[2].

Leaf

Basal leaves grow upwards of 6″ tall by 1″ wide, linear in shape, and blueish green in color. They are rough to touch and stout, as you would expect in a dry environment. Along the culm there will be alternate leaf blades that are a bit shorter than the basal leaves, but similar in all aspects^[2].

Flower

At the end of the grass stalk (culm) there will be floral spikes that are up to 2″ long. There will be two rows of floral spikelets hanging below, similar to side-oats grama. They will appear green to purple, or reddish purple and are quite attractive when viewed up close. They will hang/bloom for up to a month in summer. These will produce seed (grain) and fall near the mother plant^[2].

Root

The root system of Blue Grama is fibrous and deep. Like other dry-environment plants they will penetrate the ground deeply, upwards of 6′^[2][3]!

Growing Conditions

Blue Grama should be grown in full sun, which is at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. It also needs dry to medium-moist well-draining soil. This grass if naturally found in dry areas in full sun. If you plant it in more temperate or areas with more moisture, it will likely be overtaken by taller grasses and plants.

How to Grow Blue Grama from Seed

There are no special requirements to grow Blue Grama from seed. It just needs access to moisture and heat^[2][3]. To direct sow, rake and disturb the soil with a rake. Then broadcast your seed and walk on it to ensure good contact with the soil. Germination often needs the soil temperature to be around 60F

If you are doing this in early Spring, when the soil if frequently moist, you should be good to go. If however you are growing this in times when the ground is frequently dry, like Summer, then you should apply layer of straw/mulch and water it a couple times a day.

If you are wishing to grow Blue Grama for ornamental use, you can grow it in containers and eventually transfer it to it’s final location. To do this, determine how many plants you want, then fill that many containers with moist potting soil, patting it firm. Then, place 3-5 seeds on top of the soil per pot, and press them in with your thumb, ensuring good contact with the soil. Place the containers in a location that gets morning sun and afternoon shade, and water in mornings. Seed should germinate within two weeks, and can be transferred to it’s final location once there are several blades of grass. If you grow it in a jug, like I did, you can always separate the seedlings too.

Wildlife associations

Numerous grasshoppers feed on the flowers and leaves of Blue Grama, as do other skippers. There are over 12 skippers and moths hosted by this grass^[4], which is a testament to it’s importance as a native plant. Additionally this grass provides forage for various mammals such as American buffalo, Mule deer, etc.

Where you can buy Blue Grama

Blue Grama is not sold in any nurseries, as it is not ornamental. But there are many places that will sell seed, which is good because it is quite easy to grow from seed.

Where to buy seeds

We have ordered a variety of native flower seeds from Everwilde Farms, which you can order right from Amazon through our link on our RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS PAGE. (We may earn a small commission when you purchase through our links, at no cost to you. This helps support our website.)

Available cultivars

Several cultivars of Blue Grama have been developed over the years. ‘Lovington’ is a New Mexico ecotype that has very standard and uniform size and is quick to establish. ‘Hachita’ is noted for being of the most drought tolerant of all Blue Grama cultivars. ‘Alma’ is a subset of both Hachita and Lovington that have extra strong seedling vigor and more biomass. And finally ‘Bad River’ is an ecotype from Zone 3 in North Dakota, so is very cold-hardy.

Uses of Blue Grama

Garden Uses

Blue Grama can be used as an ornamental grass in flowerbeds, hell-strips, or just drought-prone areas. The spikes of seeds look great year round, and the foliage is attractive during the growing season. A companion (and relative) that grows well with Blue Grama would be it’s cousin, Side Oats Grama.

But here is the key things to consider – if you want to grow Blue Grama, and you have medium-moist soil, you need to make sure it drains really fast (see here how to do that). If the soil is consistently moist, then Blue Grama can often get shaded out by other, taller plants.

Using Blue Grama as a lawn

You can use Blue Grama in place of turfgrass and it will form sod in the appropriate location. This can be alone, or as a component in a seed mix that would include other low-growing warm-season grasses such as Buffalo Grass. But just remember, it will go dormant in Winter and look bright white. If the entire area is like this, it looks ok. But if you have patches of it, it will contrast sharply with the cool-season grasses of the north. So, just something to consider before you take the plunge on drought-tolerant grasses!

Final thoughts

An attractive warm season grass, Blue Grama is valuable and ecologically important component to the plains of North America. Yet it also can have applications in very dry areas, erosion control, and can grow and thrive in other places that most plants would struggle. Easy to grow from seed, it is not hard to establish in the proper conditions. Trying to grow it in moist conditions often results in the grass being shaded out and overtaken by taller, larger plants.

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