Sweet Grass

Perennial Grass  •  $6, 4-inch pot

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Height	2 ft
Spread	2 to 3 ft
Sun Exposure	Full to Part Sun
Soil Moisture	Medium to Wet
Bloom Color	Cream
Bloom Time	May – July
Companion Plantings	Grass-leaved Goldenrod, Sneezeweed, Obedient Plant
Special Attributes

Hierochloe odorata

Sweet Grass is a cool-season grass that grows actively during the spring and fall when soil temperatures are cooler. This plant boasts attractive, bright green foliage that is largely avoided by mammalian herbivores and helps provide good cover for wildlife. Site Sweet Grass on a sunny, wet location, as this plant will resent soil that is allowed to dry out. This plant can be aggressive and should be given plenty of space to spread out.

Sweet Grass is a very important plant for many North American Indigenous cultures, primarily used as an incense in smudging ceremonies to invite good spirits; it is also known as one of the Four Sacred Medicines. While not extremely common in its range, Hierochloe odorata grows coast-to-coast in the northern half of the US and in a handful of southwestern states. Sweet Grass grows mostly in the northern counties of Indiana but does not grow in Kentucky. This grass gives off a distinct sweet vanilla scent and contains at least 2 compounds known to repel mosquitoes.

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