Broomsedge

Andropogon virginicus

Broomsedge lights up in fall and winter like few other native plants. The upright stems turn a warm, glowing amber-copper as temperatures drop, and the fluffy, silky seedheads catch low winter light with a luminosity that photographs don't quite capture. In a meadow planting or along a sunny slope, a stand of Broomsedge in November is genuinely stunning. It's also a workhorse for difficult sites. Poor, dry, acidic soils are where it thrives; fertile, moist soils tend to make it floppy and less attractive. Banks, roadside slopes, and sunny cleared areas are its natural home. It colonizes disturbed ground quickly, holding soil and establishing habitat where other plants won't yet grow. Songbirds. Cardinals, Goldfinches, and sparrows especially. strip the cottony seedheads through winter. The dense clumps also provide nesting material and overwintering habitat for beneficial insects. Cut it back to 4 inches in late winter before the new growth cycle begins.