Andropogon gerardii 'Bison' - Big Bluestem, Turkey Foot

This is a tall, narrow-leaved, non-floppy Big bluestem. The added feature is the early blooms - two to three weeks earlier than any other Andropogon. A. 'Bison' is a great border plant... a quiet vertical accent while not crowding out the other plants.

Description: warm season; sod forming (very slow spreader)
Foliage - green; narrow blade width; 120-150 cm (48-60") tall
Flowers - late July - August; 135-165 cm (55-65")

Ideal growing conditions: full sun to part shade; moist fertile soil; drought tolerant once established; thrives in both heavy and sandy soils

Coldest Zone: 4, possibly colder (find your zone; further info on plant hardiness)

Season of interest: mid summer - autumn

Partner with: Coreopsis tripteris, Persicaria polymorpha, Inula 'Sonnenspeer', Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster', Panicum 'Sunburst', Sorghastrum

Recommended spacing between plants: 50-80 cm (20-32") why such a difference?

Drought tolerance rating: 2 (water to root depth once every 2 weeks); further info

Native to: prairies and open woods of temperate regions of North America (central Mexico to southern Canada); see map of US & Canada showing were it is found growing in the wild. However please note it is highly unlikely that it is found growing in places like northern Quebec, but rather this map indicates that it has been found growing in Quebec.

Pronunciation: Andropogon (an-droh-POH-gon) gerardii (jer-AR-dee-eye)

Sizes available: gallon size field clumps     Canadian price list   ||   US price list

More ornamental grasses

Compare Andropogon gerardii 'Bison' to our other grasses in this handy chart.