Big Bluestem

Big Bluestem
(Andropogon gerardi)

Height:

• 4 to 8 feet

Bloom:

• June to September

Classification:

• Native
• Perennial

Sun:

• Full sun to part sun

Soil moisture:

• Dry to moist

Provides food for:

• Caterpillars (foliage)
• Songbirds (seeds, caterpillars and other insects)

Notes:

• Big bluestem is what’s called a bunch grass which means it forms clumps instead of a solid mat like the turf grass in your yard.
• The foliage is blue-green in spring and reddish-brown in fall and winter.
• Big bluestem is a warm season grass which means that most of its growth occurs during summer and early fall.
• The vegetation remains standing throughout the winter which provides shelter to songbirds and other small wildlife.
• Bumble bee queens will sometimes crawl into the vegetation at the base of the clump to overwinter.
• It can self-seed aggressively and may not be a good choice for small garden spaces.
• Deer resistant

Native Range: