What can I plant instead of Chinese Silvergrass?

Little Bluestem, Old Switch Panicgrass, Big Bluestem, Beach Marram Grass are native plants that fill the same garden role as Chinese Silvergrass and feed local wildlife.

Is Chinese Silvergrass invasive in Canada?

Chinese Silvergrass is treated as invasive in parts of Canada because it spreads out of gardens into natural areas. Native alternatives give you the same look without the spread.

Native alternatives to Chinese Silvergrass | Hortus

Why swap it

Miscanthus escapes gardens and forms dense stands along roadsides and field edges. These native grasses give you the same movement, height, and winter structure, and their seed feeds birds.

Native plants to grow instead

Map your garden free →

1
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
a native grass for the same movement and structure
Helps at-risk wildlife
A grassland bird losing its grasslands. Native bunchgrasses bring back the insects and cover it needs.
Brings back: Eastern Meadowlark
2
Old Switch Panicgrass
Panicum virgatum
a native grass for the same movement and structure
Helps at-risk wildlife
A bubbling song of summer meadows, now threatened. Native grasses rebuild the habitat it raises its young in.
Brings back: Bobolink
3
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
a native grass for the same movement and structure
Helps at-risk wildlife
A bubbling song of summer meadows, now threatened. Native grasses rebuild the habitat it raises its young in.
Brings back: Eastern Meadowlark, Bobolink
4
Beach Marram Grass
Ammophila breviligulata
a native grass for the same movement and structure
A larval host plant. The caterpillars it raises are the primary food source for baby songbirds.
5
Canada Wildrye
Elymus canadensis
a native grass for the same movement and structure
A larval host plant. The caterpillars it raises are the primary food source for baby songbirds.
6
Common Woolsedge
Scirpus cyperinus
a native grass for the same movement and structure
A larval host plant. The caterpillars it raises are the primary food source for baby songbirds.
7
Hairy Panic Grass
Panicum acuminatum
a native grass for the same movement and structure
A larval host plant. The caterpillars it raises are the primary food source for baby songbirds.
8
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
a native grass for the same movement and structure
A larval host plant. The caterpillars it raises are the primary food source for baby songbirds.

Showing the 8 strongest of 35 native grasses that fill the same role. Browse the full native library →

See what your yard could bring back

Map the plants you grow, get a free report card of the pollinators and species at risk your garden supports, and find a native-plant nursery near you.

Start your free garden →Try the report card

Browse all native plants →Check your sun & shade →Find a native plant nursery →

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