{"product_id":"blue-steel-big-bluestem-72-cell-plug-tray","title":"Blue Steel Big Bluestem - 72-Cell Plug Tray","description":"\u003cp\u003eBlue Steel is a big bluestem selected for steel-blue foliage brushed with purple, a cool change from the red-toned types. The color deepens as the season goes on and carries the plant well into fall.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt forms a dense, upright clump about 4½ feet tall, topped in late summer by blue-purple flower spikes. This tough native prairie grass handles clay, drought and poor soil, stands up through winter, and works well in meadows, screens and modern plantings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat it looks like\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eNarrow, upright blades about ¼ to ½ inch wide are steel blue with purple tints that intensify through late summer and fall. The plant forms a dense, stiffly vertical clump about 54 inches tall and 30 inches wide. In late summer slender stems rise just above the leaves with three-part, forked flower heads shaped like a turkey foot, in purple and blue tones. In fall the whole clump takes on deeper purple and bronze shades and holds its upright form.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eGrowing it with lavender\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt thrives in the same full sun and lean soil as lavender, and its tall blue-purple blades make a strong vertical backdrop behind mounded lavender plantings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCare\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlant in full sun in almost any soil, including clay; it is drought tolerant once established but adapts to moist soil too. Hardy in zones 3 to 9. Leave it standing for winter interest and cut it back to a few inches in early spring.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Andropogon gerardii\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower color:\u003c\/strong\u003e Purple-blue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Steel blue with purple highlights\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth habit:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dense, upright clump\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMature size:\u003c\/strong\u003e 54 in tall × 30 in wide\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUSDA hardiness zones:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3–9\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e full sun\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBloom start:\u003c\/strong\u003e Early-August\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeak bloom:\u003c\/strong\u003e Late-August\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBloom pattern:\u003c\/strong\u003e Single Flush\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDeer resistance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Resistant\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePollinator value:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fair\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSizes and shipping\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne full 72-cell plug tray: 72 young starter plugs of this variety (cells about 1⅓ in. wide × 2½ in. deep), rooted and ready to pot up into quarts or gallons. Best for growers and nurseries. Potted plants and plug trays ship during our live-plant seasons, March 1–May 31 and October 1–November 30; June through September is local pickup only. Plugs, potted plants and trays do not ship to AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT or WA.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Great Lakes Lavender Farm","offers":[{"title":"72-Cell Plug Tray","offer_id":67724281741608,"sku":"GLLF-PER-22B1C50B-72","price":735.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0941\/0736\/9768\/files\/blue-steel-big-bluestem.jpg?v=1790865227","url":"https:\/\/greatlakeslavenderfarm.com\/products\/blue-steel-big-bluestem-72-cell-plug-tray","provider":"Great Lakes Lavender Farm","version":"1.0","type":"link"}