Big Bluestem

Andropogon gerardii, also known as big bluestem grass, is a tall, perennial, warm-season grass native to Texas. It used to be the dominant grass of the tallgrass prairie that once covered large parts of the Midwest. Big bluestem grass is grown for its attractive foliage, which changes color with the seasons, good architectural height, and interesting flower/seed heads.

This grass has an upright clump of stems with flattened leaves. The leaves start gray to blue-green in spring, turn green with red tinges in summer, and then change to reddish bronze with lavender tones in autumn after frost. Flowering stems rise in late summer above the foliage, bearing purplish 3-parted, finger-like flower clusters that look like turkey feet, hence the additional common name of turkey-foot grass for this species. The total height of this grass can range from 4-8' tall, typically at the taller end in moist soils and the shorter end in dry soils.

Big bluestem grass can grow in average, well-drained soils in full sun. It is tolerant of a wide range of soils and growing conditions. It grows well in moist, fertile soils and is less likely to fall over in dry, infertile soils. This grass develops a robust root system and is somewhat slow to establish, but once established, it has excellent drought tolerance and is easy to maintain. Cutting the stems to the ground in late winter before new shoots appear is best. In optimal growing conditions, it tends to self-seed freely.