ZZ Top Grass

We are thoroughly enchanted by a little-known Southeast native ornamental grass, Schizachyrium divergens, and in particular, a ZZ-Top like, super hairy version, named Schizachyrium divergens ‘The Fuzz’. We say little-known, because it was formerly dumped into the widespread Schizachyrium scoparium, which seems an unconscionable taxonomic stretch. Some taxonomists now consider it a Texas endemic, while others consider its range stretching into other adjacent states to the east.

This amazing selection comes from our friend Wade Roitsch, of the former Yucca Do Nursery. Wade selected this extremely hairy form from a population in Texas. We’ve grown a huge number of ornamental grasses, but have never seen anything remotely like this, where the abundance of blue, soft, velvet-like, fuzzy foliage is truly indescribable. The flower stalks mature around 5′ tall in late summer/early fall. This is nearing the end of its evaluation period, and if all goes well, will then move to the production cycle.