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By division.
Black ring, rust, smut, leaf spots, damping off.
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This vase-shaped indian grass produces golden yellow plumes, giving 'Indian Steel' a refined appearance. Each flower spike has tiny, bright yellow pollen sacs that stand out on the darker seed heads. From early spring to fall, the foliage is metallic blue, mellowing to a copper-tan after the first frost.
Tripsacum dactyloides
This grass is easy to grow and always beautiful. In early summer, slender stems are topped with flowers that produce a crop of jointed seeds. Clumps get large and die out in the center, so division every three or four years is necessary. Autumn frosts turn the leaves shades of red-bronze.
'Hachita' is a vigorous plant with narrow, blue-green leaves that form dense mounds. During summer, the clumps are punctuated by intricate seed heads that resemble eyelashes. This tough, drought-tolerant grass thrives in sand or clay soil with full-sun exposure. It needs good drainage for the best growth. Too much water is often its downfall.
From the prairies of Nebraska comes a refined variety of big bluestem: 'Pawnee'. It has an upright habit and warm fall colors that persist into winter. Each stiffly vertical stem has the characteristic bluish purple cast of this genus. In late summer, 'Pawnee' develops purplish red flowers in groups of three or six, which resemble the foot of a turkey—hence its nickname: "Turkey Foot Grass." Big bluestem has an extensive root system that can extend down more than 10 feet. Each year, a third of these roots die, opening up channels for water.
This compact selection of an American native prairie grass turns heads in early summer, with its leaf blades tipped in rich red. The color builds into autumn, when the entire leaf blade is drenched in burgundy and gossamer clouds of misty pink plumes hover overhead, providing irresistible texture. Winter brings papery beige leaf blades that rustle in the wind and provide cover for birds.
Panicum virgatum 'Prairie Fire'
Andropogon gerardii ‘Pawnee’
Bouteloua gracilis 'Hachita'
Vetiver zizanioides
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