Northern Sea Oats

Chasmanthium latifolium

Northern Sea Oats is a medium-growing perennial, hardy in USDA zones 3-8, that matures to about 2-5 ft × 1-2.5 ft. It does best in full sun and part shade with high water needs in moist and occasionally-wet soil. Expect brown, green and purple blooms in summer and fall. It attracts butterflies, pollinators and small mammals, stands up well to black walnut, deer and drought, grows happily in containers.

USDA zones: 3-8
Sun: Full sun, Part shade
Water: High
Mature size: 2-5 ft × 1-2.5 ft
Growth rate: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Soil: Moist, Occasionally-wet
Bloom color: Brown, Green, Purple
Bloom season: Summer, Fall
Attracts: Butterflies, Pollinators, Small mammals, Songbirds
Tough against: Black walnut, Deer, Drought, Erosion, Salt, Wet soil
Native to: Eastern United States, northern Mexico

Freeze survival

Will it survive your winters?

We score Northern Sea Oats’s freeze-trouble range against the real coldest nights your area has recorded.

Powered by ~35 years of daily lows from the nearest NOAA weather station. A risk read, not a guarantee — a sheltered spot or mature plant beats the odds.