Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Big bluestem – Blackhawks
Last year I picked up a new cultivar of Big Bluestem grass called ‘Blackhawks’. Oh my, the foliage evolves throughout the growing season.
The long leaves are green in spring turning hues of bluish purple by June and will be turning more purple to red as the seasons turn. By Autumn, it’s nearly black! Oh my, it is striking!
It’s also tall. The leaves grow to 5 ft with the flowers and seed heads above, reaching upwards of 7 ft. at maturity. Mine aren’t quite there as it’s their first full season, however, the drought hasn’t helped either. The flowers themselves are purplish, three-parted clusters that grow about 4 inches long. It spreads to about 2 ft.. What a dramatic backdrop for the perennial garden and good news for those in the North, it’s hardy to zone 3. While not fussy about soil it does prefer at least 6 hours of sunlight. Poor or dry soils, not a problem. But don’t plant in wet soils.
Big bluestem is native to the Upper Midwest. I picked up one ‘Blackhawks’ at a local nursery last year, it was all they had left and then found another at a different nursery!
Big bluestem is also used as nesting material for birds and mammals. It is long lived and can be used for naturalizing. It’s propagated by division.