I think all grasses have the potential to be aggressive. The sea oats in a garden where I have volunteered has only "created" three new plants in five years; however, we use a pre-emergent in there, so it probably seeded out in places we missed. In the wild it grows in shade, but Cullina's book says it tolerates sun and even gets bigger.I have a friend who works in another garden, and she says they are always pulling it out...and she hates it. I love it. Beauty (and extra work) is in the eye of the beholder, of course.

Northern seas oates grows in the shade in the wild?? Funny I thought this was the stuff that grows naturally on the dunes at the beach in full sun. Was it transplanted there for erosion control or is what is growing on the NC coast another variety? I am corn-fused !! LOL

Rootdigger, I would love for my pink muhly grass to be a good reseeder. I had one plant out back for several years and never once saw a seedling. I have since moved that plant and purchased two others for out front in a natural area. Will have to see if it self seeds there.

The coastal sea oats is Uniola paniculata. Northern sea oats is the distantly related Chasmanthium latifolium. I agree the common name of the latter is misleading. In my garden it seems to grow where it wants to rather than where I want it to, so I just adapt.

Thanks for the info Karen! :)

Personally, I wish I had never planted the stuff. It comes up everywhere in my sunny garden and it seems almost impossible to kill.

I've got a pack of seeds. Now I'm rethinking them.

If you plant it and it's happy you'll have lots and lots of seedlings, so it needs a spot where it has plenty of room and no easily overwhelmed neighbors. I like it as a woods edge plant away from more intensively cultivated areas, but not all gardens have a spot like that.

I've been reading. It seems it likes shady, moist conditions. I want to plant it for the birds, but that seems like a recipe for disaster in the making. I do have an area where I've already planted pussywillow and pyracantha. They're way out of the way, but receive full sun in the middle of summer. I may try it there and see what it does. It's a moist spot where rain water from the street collects. I'm just afraid to turn something loose that close to the woods. Ivy and periwinkle were planted years ago, probably before I was born, have taken over.

I have a love/hate relationship with this plant. It's a wonderful presence in the shade garden, but it reseeds like mad for me. I'm always pulling it out. I try to deal with the reseeding by cutting in down before it drops all its seed, but that typically means I have to cut in down when it looks its darn best. In my garden records, I keep a list of plants that are"on probation". This plant has been on the list for quite awhile. One day I think it will have to go when the logical want less maintenance part of my brain wins out over the emotional love its beauty part.

Since I have no sun, it is the only grass in my garden. Very beautiful, and the seedlings tend to end up more in the lawn than in the bed, so no problem. It is mulched with whole dead leaves around, so maybe that discourages seedlings. Best for a wilder part of the garden.

I love it and wish it would reseed more in my garden. I got mine originally from a plant save, near the edge of a creek in the shade. It has reseeded some, but not that much. Might have a lot to do with droughty conditions and lot sof big thirsty trees around.

I think if you have to cut the seeds off, Spazzy, just keep them for indoor arrangements. They shatter if you cut them too late anyhow, and they are lovely inside for a very long time. I wish i had more so i could enjoy it in the garden AND cut more for inside!