Native Bunch Grass

Hi- I`m hoping to begin planting about a quarter acre of Blu Oak/Black Oak woodland with native bunch grasses this fall. I`m hoping to plant something that doesn`t get much bigger than 18' and won`t need to be watered. We live at about 3000` in the Central Sierra Foothills outside of Sonora long hot dry Summers. First, is this possible? If so, does anyone know what I should plant and where I can get seed? Thanks for any help you can offer!</p>

I`m answering this because I know many of the CNPS Sierra Foothills Chapter people do not have email. I`m not sure which bunchgrasses are appropriate for your area, but there certainly are several. The main CNPS website should have contact names and phone numbers for the Sierra Foothills chapter. Call someone - they`ll be glad to hear from you, and you should get some good advice. Where you live, there is nothing like advice from local experts. Good luck, Lori Hubbart</p>

Don`t assume that your oaks are necessarily growing in a native grassland. If they are surrounded by non-native grasses, then the area may have been type converted to pasture due to grazing/fire. There is a huge liklihood that your oaks were historically surronded by mostly dicots, but these are long gone to the oaks` detriment. Try e-mailing Bert at www.laspilitas.com. This is a great resource for helping to determine your true plant community and the appropriate companion plants for your site. Hope this helps.</p>

Probably the easiest thing is Needlegrass Nassella Learn to identify it, gather some seed locally and have some contract grown. You might try: Cornflower Farms PO Box 896, Elk Grove, CA 95759 Phone: 916-689-1015 Fax: 916-689-1968 or others at: http://members.aol.com/GStigall/calret.htm Reveg Edge at http://www.ecoseeds.com/nature.html can grow them bare root in quantity & ship by mail. It would be worth haveing someone come out in late spring and see what you have now to give advice. Possibly weeding would be adequate or at least some existing natives identified so you can get seed & have them grown. best regards, -- Paul Furman http://www.edgehill.net san francisco native plants</p>