Schizachyrium scoparium Prairie Blues

Schizachyrium scoparium 'Prairie Blues' is a little-known perennial grass that is rarely used in our gardens (perhaps due to its unpronounceable name!). It is, however, a magnificent plant. It has a good size, beautiful colours, and is extremely easy to grow. Its foliage undergoes a small revolution throughout the seasons, changing from a distinct blue-silver in summer to a pink-orange hue in autumn, before turning purple in winter. The autumnal flowering emerges among the foliage in delicate and initially shy inflorescences, which then reveal themselves under the light as they dry out in a silver shade. This beautiful and fully hardy variety thrives in well-drained, even poor soils, and in full sun, bringing a light and picturesque touch to shrub and perennial beds.

Schizachyrium scoparium, formerly known as Andropogon scoparius, is a plant from the Poaceae family, endemic to the high plains of North America, but also found from Quebec to Mexico. Vigorous, accustomed to tough competition with other plants, and well-adapted to difficult conditions, it withstands the cold and drought, and copes with poor soils without flinching.

'Prairie Blues' is a variety with a spectacular blue-silver colour. The plant forms a clump that reaches 80cm (32in) to 1m (3ft) in height when in flower, with a width of 50cm (20in), slowly expanding to form an upright bush. It is made up of a low rosette of flexible, linear leaves, and upright stems among which appear delicate inflorescences in late summer or autumn. These are narrow clusters, measuring 3 to 15cm (1 to 6in) in length, bearing slender spikelets. They are white at first, maturing to an ashy-silver shade. Towards mid-September, the entire plant takes on orange and pinkish-purple hues, becoming increasingly intense until November, before turning purple-copper. This colouration is even more pronounced in regions experiencing large temperature variations in autumn.

Schizachyrium scoparium 'Prairie Blues' has the huge advantage over many other grasses of remaining upright and not flopping over, thus remaining decorative until the heart of winter. It can withstand almost anything except heavy, waterlogged soils, and as such, it is useful in ornamental dry gardens or in poor, infertile or sandy soils. It pairs well with hyssops, catmints, shrubby salvias, and artemisias. For a contrast of forms, it can be combined with hybrid mulleins or rose mallows. Almost naturally, this marvel has found its place in our beds, among Deschampsia grasses with a pale gold hue in autumn.