cosmetic grasses tot up top and texture to our gardens . ‘Blackhawks ’ big bluestemalso add especial fall ( and summertime ) colors to the recurrent garden .
Many northern gardeners have cultivar of little blue stem ( Schizachyrium scoparium ) in their garden . Much breeding work over the retiring X or more on this flora has leave in its smaller sizing and more refined appearance . The Minnesota - breed cultivarLittle Heaven ™ is one of several little bluestem option .
While little Andropogon gerardii is a with child choice , northerly gardener should really turn over using big bluestem as well . This newfangled cultivar , developed by plantsmanBrent HorvathatIntrinsic Perennials in Chicago , is a much - improved version of the native large bluestem .
The leafage of ‘ Blackhawks ’ evolve throughout the growing season . The recollective , strappy leaves emerge green in spring but speedily start to take on some purple hues , even in June . Throughout the summer , those purple to red or almost bronze hue make their way throughout the leafage . By fall , the purple foliage is so thick it looks almost black . It ’s striking !
This is a big plant , eventually maturing at a height of 5 infantry and more with the flowers and seed heads . It propagate 2 foot panoptic . It is perfect for the back of the perennial border , whether as an individual flora or in a radical of flora to produce screening or total drama .
Blackhawks is brave inUSDA zone 3 - 9so it works for all northern gardeners . It requires a full - Dominicus site ( a lower limit of six hour of direct sunlight per day ) and is not fussy when it comes to soil . Blackhawks can support poor soils and dry internet site . It will not tolerate systematically sloshed sites , however . No major insect pests or diseases affect Blackhawks .
The blossoming stem rise above the foliage in late summertime . The flush are purple , three - parted , digitate clusters up to 4 inches long . Some say they resemble turkey feet , which is another vulgar name for freehanded bluestem . The flowers can take the mature height of the plant up to close to 8 feet in moist soils but it broadly stays shorter in teetotal soils .
Big bluestem is aboriginal to Minnesota and is an crucial portion of the tallgrass prairie . It has sometimes been called the “ monarch of the prairie . ” It is also used as snuggle fabric for birds and mammal . The neat species has not been used much in home gardens because of its with child size and rough-cut habit , but the reproduction improvement made in Blackhawks make it a perfect gain to your recurrent gardens . It is a long - lived industrial plant and can be used in naturalisation areas and in restoring prairies . It is propagated via division .
This clause byDebbie Lonneeoriginally appeared in the September / October 2020 issue ofNorthern Gardener . She work in the gardening industry and gardens in South St. Paul .
