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| Category: Grass |
| Family: Poaceae (Gramineae) (Grasses) |
| Origin: Southwest (U.S.) (North America) |
| Flower Color: Chartreuse |
| Bloomtime: Summer |
| Synonyms: [Chondrosum gracile] |
| Height: 1-2 feet |
| Width: 1-2 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: < 0 °F |
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Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition' PP22,048 (Blonde Ambition Blue Grama) A long-lived warm season tufted perennial grass with fine-textured gray-green leaves to 12 to 18 inches tall with dainty flowers that are held like small horizontal flags on stems that rise above the foliage to 2 1/2 feet tall in early summer and hold seed heads through fall. This selection is more robust with larger flowers than typical Blue Grama and these flowers are a chartreuse color that age to blond instead of the typical dark purplish flowers of the species. Plant in full sun in most any soil so long as it is well-drained. Water occasionally to very little - plants fill in faster and look best when irrigated but this is a drought tolerant grass and is very cold tolerant. It has proven itself in many situations such as in alkaline and saline soils but does poorly in acidic soils or those kept too moist. Blue Grama, also called Mosquito Grass, is native to much of North America from Manitoba Canada south and west across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Midwest states to Mexico. This selection discovered and introduced by David Salman of High Country Gardens originated as a sport off of Bouteloua gracilis `Hatchita` that was found in a residential yard in July 2007 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. National Home Gardening Club Magazine named this plant one of its 2011 Plant Select® winners. Images and plants courtesy of High Country Gardens. This plant received US Plant Patent 22,048 in July 2011. Some recent sources (2013), including The Plant List (the collaboration between the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and Missouri Botanic Gardens), list the current species name of this plant as Chondrosum gracile, while other reputable sources, such as the Jepson Project (the Bible of all plants Californian) and the Flora of North America list the current name as Bouteloua gracilis. We are sticking with the familiar name until such time as this name change get much wider recognition.
The information about Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition' PP22,048 displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
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