Ornamental Grass: ‘New Wave’

Credit: GardenWise

Andropogon gerardii is a warm-season grass, blooming late summer to fall with foliage reaching 120 cm

In the wild open prairies, where buffalo once roamed and the deer and the antelopes played, Andropogon gerardii provided a palatable feast of grass from Mexico up through central North America to northern Saskatchewan and east to the Atlantic. Able to withstand the weight of heavy snowfalls, grass clumps were a useful spring nesting site for prairie chickens, mice and other wildlife. Blood-tinged ‘New Wave’ is a recent introduction from Bluestem Nursery, an ornamental-grass specialist in Christina Lake, B.C., near the Washington border. Hardy to zone 4, it’s a warm-season grass, blooming late summer to fall with foliage reaching 120 cm (48 in). It thrives in full sun to part shade, likes moist, fertile soil and is drought-tolerant once established. Visit Bluestem Nursery for more new varieties.