Broomsedge

Broomsedge turns coppery orange in autumn and holds that color all winter, glowing when low sun hits it. Andropogon virginicus is a native grass growing 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide in full sun, hardy from Zone 5 through Zone 8. The clumps are strictly upright, blue-green through summer, then shifting to orange-copper after frost and standing through snow without flattening. Silvery seed tufts catch light along the stems. Songbirds take the seed through winter and use the standing clumps for cover. Broomsedge feeds several skipper butterfly caterpillars. This grows wild in old fields, roadsides, and poor abandoned ground across the eastern half of the country, which tells you what it wants: full sun and lean, dry soil. Rich ground and fertilizer make it grow soft. It handles drought, poor soil, and clay once established. Cut it back in late winter before new growth starts. Deer leave it alone.