Chasmanthium Latifolium - River Oats



Posted: Friday, October 02, 2009

by Dennis Sons
tn nursery

Chasmanthium Latifolium is a gorgeous perennial grass native to North America. This woodland grass with clumps of soft green foliage can make any landscape look beautiful. River oats is frequently used by landscapers to alter the scenery around the house, gardens and around river walks. This is a 2-4 ft, dense -forming, perennial grass that bears large overhanging oat-like flowers from delicate arching branches. The bluish-green, slender bamboo-like leaves often turn a bright yellow-gold, towards the end of summer. The grass produces numerous seed heads in the presence of sun but the leaves take on a deep green color. The green leaves do turn brown in autumn and become dark grey in winter. When flowers appear, they hang down from the stems and form a natural arch. River oats is not a difficult plant to grow; it thrives in either sun or shade. However, growth of the leaves is less dense in shady conditions. In the wild, river oats is frequently seen growing along river banks, in light shaded woodlands, edges of forests and along riverbanks. River oats tend to grow dense when water is abundant. For landscapers, river oats is best grown in late fall when the ground is cold. By over winterizing, the probability of good growth is increased during early spring. Initially the young plant will have very broad leaves but as the grass gets taller, leaf size will decrease.

The plant can be propagated by seeds. Seeds of the river oats ripen in late summer or early autumn. The grass is generally firm and remains erect even in winter. River oats play an important role in the ecosystem; it provides covering, shade and bedding for wild life and food for birds, turkeys and ducks. As a garden plant, river oats helps to generate a natural shade. During fall the leaves turn a beautiful bronze color and attract all types of wildlife. River oats tends to grow anywhere from 6-48 inches and can spread 24-30 inches.

River oats is easily grown in moist, well-drained soil but does not do well in poor soil. River oats is a low maintenance shade grass that has charming seed heads. The translucent green seeds swing gently in the wind and by midsummer turn into brilliant white. River oats reseeds relatively easily and can grow wild for the first few years. - this natural ability to grow makes it a nice ground cover for any landscape. In southern states, river oats is frequently used to control soil erosion along river banks.

The seeds of river oats are often added to caskets and wreaths to make pretty flower arrangements. It reseeds easily and can spread out assertively within a couple of years, making a good cover in moist sandy soil. River oats is a USDA hardy plant best grown in zones 5-9.

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