Teasing you with its profusion of blonde colored, eye-lash shaped seed heads, this ornamental selection of the western native Blue Grama grass will wow you. Introduced by David Salman of High Country Gardens, Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ was a 2011 Plant Select winner.
Resplendent on a sunny fall or winter day, the gold leaves and seed heads look great against small evergreens, a dark wall or landscape boulders. Even winter snows can’t stop this grass from providing captivating winter interest, as it seems to stand up through heavy snows better than other ornamental grasses. And in summer, the light blue-green foliage can’t be stopped by heat or drought. ‘BlondeAmbition’ mixes well with many xeriscape staples such as Autumn Joy Sedum or English Lavender, and also looks great in masses as well.
Would you like to attract some eyeballs to your landscape by reserving a spot in your garden for this blonde bombshell?
Scientific Name: Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’
Plant Type: Perennial
Mature Height: 12”-36”
Mature Spread: 12”-24”
Cold Hardiness Zone: 4 – 9.
Water Requirement: Very low. Grows in a wide range of soil conditions.
Exposure: Full Sun.
Flower Color & Bloom Time: Chartreuse to Gold. Summer.
Winter Interest: Gold leaves and curly seed heads.
Best Features: Profusion of gold colored eye-lash shaped seed heads. Great color and shape throughout fall into winter.
Disadvantages: unknown
Availability and Sizes: This plant seems to be regularly available.
Maintenance Tip: Shear back in late winter / early spring to give room for new growth.
Wildlife Value: unknown
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I just discovered that ‘Blonde Ambition’ blue grama grass was declared the “overall winning plant for 2013”! This is according to the ‘Plant Select’ program and their annual public garden performance survey. Out of 61 public gardens that grew and tested 118 ‘Plant Select’ plants, 75% picked ‘Blonde Ambition’ grass the best performing plant for 2013. Please see this result and more information at http://plantselect.org/demonstration-gardens/.