Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: A new Prairie Grass for 2022
I’ve been chatting up Prairie Grass and today I introduce a new cultivar for 2022! Developed by the University of Minnesota Department of Horticulture, ‘Golden Sunset’ Yellow Prairie grass is the 2nd grass coming out of the U of MN’s Mary Meyer!
Sorghastrum nutans is the Latin name for this type of grass, common names include Indian Grass and Yellow Prairie grass. While new to the market, it takes decades of trialing beforehand. Meyer, along with a few other plant breeders tested two finalists for many years. Their final choice originated in South Dakota and is native to the Upper Midwest. At maturity, which is about 3 years, ‘Golden Sunset’ will reach 4 to 6 ft. tall in full sun, staying upright, no falling over!
According to the U of MN, most yellow prairie grass available today has blue-green foliage, but Golden Sunset™ has olive-green foliage that is just over ½ inch wide. The flower stems rise 9 inches above the foliage starting in mid-August and flower into winter with a showy yellow and golden-bronze color. Large mature plants can be 36 inches wide, with hundreds of flowering stems.
‘Golden Sunset’ has no known diseases or pests and also tolerates average to dry soils! It will be in nurseries and garden centers this spring.
Meyer also developed Little Bluestem ‘Blue Heaven’.
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