ornamental grass
Sideoats grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Sideoats grama is an ornamental grass hardy in zones 3–9. Expect 1.5–2.5 ft of height and 1–1.5 ft of spread; our lists space it 1.25 ft apart. It does best in full sun with little water once established. Expect purple flowers in July to September. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the grass role: a grass or grass-like plant that adds movement and fine texture in the middle. It is native to the Great Plains, Texas and the South-Central states, the Mountain West, the Desert Southwest and the Midwest. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in Florida and the Gulf, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Bouteloua curtipendula
- Plant type
- Ornamental grass, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 9
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Well-drained, lean soil; tolerates rocky and alkaline ground.
- Mature size
- 1.5–2.5 ft tall × 1–1.5 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.25 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Jul–Sep · purple
- Roles in a bed
- Grass
- Styles
- natural, low water
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats
- Native to
- Great Plains, South-Central, Mountain West, Desert Southwest and Midwest
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $10–$18 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week for the first 6-8 weeks, then every 10-14 days in dry spells through the first summer; after that only in long droughts.
- Pruning
- Cut back to 4-6 inches in late winter before new growth starts.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; state extension service fact sheets; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list (true grasses and sedges are not listed as toxic); Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings; state extension service; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States; state noxious weed and invasive plant lists; US garden-centre and home-improvement retail listings (general knowledge, 2026 estimate); USDA PLANTS database; state extension service native plant lists. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 8 (as a substitute)
- Prairie-style plants for a sunny bed in zone 5, Great Plains (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Sideoats grama, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin'Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'shrub · zones 3–8
- Blazing starLiatris spicataperennial · zones 3–8
- Butterfly weedAsclepias tuberosaperennial · zones 3–9
- Ninebark 'Summer Wine'Physocarpus opulifolius 'Seward'shrub · zones 3–7
- Foxglove beardtongue 'Husker Red'Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'perennial · zones 3–8
- Prairie smokeGeum triflorumperennial · zones 3–7
If you can't find it
Plants that do the same job and pass the same rules for the conditions Sideoats grama suits.
- Pink muhly grassMuhlenbergia capillariszones 6–11 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation'Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation'zones 3–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Switchgrass 'Shenandoah'Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah'zones 4–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Northern sea oatsChasmanthium latifoliumzones 5–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants