Andropogon gerardii

Big Bluestem

Description:

♦ Zones:  4 - 9     Height:  48 - 60"     Exposure:  Full Sun ♦

Big bluestem grass is a tall, Missouri native, perennial, warm season grass that was the dominant grass of the tallgrass prairie which once covered large parts of the Midwest. It may be grown as an ornamental grass because of its attractive foliage which changes color seasonally, its good architectural height and its interesting flower/seed heads. It features an upright clump of stems with flattened leaves which emerge gray to blue green in spring, mature to green with red tinges in summer and turn reddish bronze with lavender tones in autumn after frost. Flowering stems rise in late summer above the foliage clump bearing purplish 3-parted, finger-like flower clusters purportedly resembling turkey feet. Flowering stems bring total height of this grass to 4-8' tall.

USDA Hardiness Zone: