Illustration
Blackhawks Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardi 'Blackhawks'
Also called andropogon gerardii 'blackhawks'
Blackhawks Big Bluestem blooms from August through September.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Blackhawks Big Bluestem
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–9. Expect it to reach about 5 ft tall and 2 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (a house reading).
Pets
- Not yet checked for pets.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
No toxicity note is on file for Blackhawks Big Bluestem. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Blackhawks Big Bluestem
Plant Blackhawks Big Bluestem in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from August to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Blackhawks Big Bluestem get?
5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult2 ftwideSee Blackhawks Big Bluestem in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Blackhawks Big Bluestem
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Blackhawks Big Bluestem about 2 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Blackhawks Big Bluestem to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Blackhawks Big Bluestem's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 8 published sources on October 5, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- NC State ExtensionAndropogon gerardi, species pageheight, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Plant Addictsthe queue's store page; Brand field Proven Selectionsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- whiteflowerfarm.comWhite Flower Farm (a nursery that sells the plant)height, spread, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- US plant patent (Google Patents)U.S. Plant Patent PP27,949 (Google Patents), the breeder's registrationheight, spread, hardiness zones, bloom months and color, trait tags, diseases and pests
- luriegarden.orgLurie Garden (Millennium Park, Chicago)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Finderhardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- Plants For A FutureAndropogon gerardii, species pagesun, trait tags, soil and toxicity
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.