Marram Grass, American Beach Grass (Ammophila breviligulata)
Ammophila breviligulata

Deciduous Perennial in the Poaceae Family
 
Buy Marram Grass, American Beach Grass
Size Notes Price Availability
50ct Plug Deep Flat Field $135.63 Likely available
11/1 - 11/8
1/24 - 4/4

A tough native dune grass that stabilizes sandy, salty, wind-blown sites where little else survives.

American beach grass is a tough, rhizomatous native grass that stabilizes sand dunes along the Atlantic coast and Great Lakes shoreline, including Lake Michigan. It thrives in the harsh conditions of shifting, nutrient-poor sand, tolerating burial under blowing sand, salt spray, and drought, and spreads aggressively by underground rhizomes to knit dune surfaces together. Its bloom is an inconspicuous tan-to-golden seed spike; the plant is grown for its erosion-control function and coarse, upright texture rather than showy flowers. It is listed as an endangered species in Illinois, occurring naturally only along the Lake Michigan dunes in the northeastern part of the state.

Pros

  • Exceptional for erosion control on sandy or unstable soil
  • Highly salt-tolerant and drought-tolerant once established
  • Native to Illinois and the wider Great Lakes region, including Lake Michigan dunes
  • Provides cover and nesting habitat for shorebirds

Cons

  • Spreads aggressively by rhizome, hard to contain outside dune/erosion settings
  • Needs poor sandy soil and full sun - struggles in rich garden soil or shade
  • Inconspicuous bloom, not an ornamental-flower plant
  • Must be planted in fall/early spring - summer plantings generally fail
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 24 - 48 inches tall. 24 - 48 inches wide.
Growth Rate Moderate
Sun Exposure Full Sun - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Dry
Zones 3a - 8b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Deciduous, Drought Tolerant, Dry, Erosion Control, Full Sun, Grasses, Illinois Native, Native to North America, Perennial, Tolerant of Loamy Soil, Tolerant of Salt, Tolerant of Sandy Soil
Bloom Period Late Summer (July-September)
Flower Color Tan/Golden
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 04/13 - 09/20
2024 : 05/01 - 09/21
2023 : 06/01 - 09/30

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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To secure the best prices for club members and make sure we know the current plants available from each nursery, we take orders only a couple of times a month.

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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!