Perennial Plant Association names 2026 Perennial Plant of the Year: Blackhawks big bluestem

The Perennial Plant Association has announced the 2026 Perennial Plant of the Year: Andropogon gerardii ‘Blackhawks’.

The 2026 Perennial Plant of the Year was officially announced at the PPA's 2025 National Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, July 28-31.

Selected by PPA members, this cultivar, commonly known as Blackhawks big bluestem, stands out for its striking appearance and resilience once established.

More compact than other big bluestem varieties, Blackhawks reaches a height of 5 feet and a width of 2 feet. Its near-black coloration and strong, upright growth habit creates a dramatic presence in fall gardens.

The dark green leaves emerge in spring, gradually transitioning to reddish-purple tips as summer progresses. By August, the characteristic three-parted “turkeyfoot” inflorescences appear, and by September, the entire plant takes on a deep purple hue.

Photo courtesy of Midwest Groundcovers

Richard Hawke, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley director of ornamental plant research at the Chicago Botanic Garden, says Andropogon gerardii ‘Blackhawks’ is “notable for its compact size and sublimely dark burgundy leaves, stems and flowers. It quickly became a standout in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s ornamental grass trial. It is the perfect choice to add color, texture and movement to smaller gardens or landscapes where one of its bigger relatives would overwhelm.”

Beyond its ornamental appeal, Blackhawks big bluestem provides vital habitat. Its dense foliage and sturdy stems offer nesting sites and cover for birds, while also serving as a larval food source for several skipper butterfly species. Though it forms a single clump, it may reseed in the garden.

This cultivar is low maintenance, with no major pest or disease concerns. The only required care is cutting it back to the ground in late winter, like other ornamental grasses. Once established — a process that may take a few years — Blackhawks becomes very drought tolerant.

Bill Hall, head grower at Hoffman Nursery, says, “This upright growing big bluestem is slow to awaken from dormancy but is worth the wait. The dark purple foliage — which is near black — emerges clean and colors up quickly in the growing season. Like most Andropogon grasses, ‘Blackhawks’ seems to be relatively free of foliar disease”.

The PPA recommends pairing Blackhawks big bluestem with companion plants like black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.), tall stonecrops (Hylotelephium spp.) and asters (Symphyotrichum spp.). Their contrasting textures and movements complement the bold, vertical spikes of Blackhawks.

Perennial Plant Association 2025 Special Recognition Awards

During the National Symposium, the PPA recognized three recipients of the 2025 Special Recognition Awards.

The Emerging Perennial Professional Award was given to Ben O’Brien, owner of Wild by Design. This award recognizes an individual who is a talented and diligent newcomer to the perennial plant industry.

The PPA said that O’Brien creates artfully crafted, richly planted and lovingly tended naturalistic gardens inspired by the landscape of Prince Edward County in Ontario, where he lives and works. He is a passionate young plantsman and progressive planting designer bringing the best of the new perennial movement to Canada. He has conducted thorough experiments and trials using a variety of growing media, including gravel, sand and construction waste, to assess perennial behavior and longevity for both public and private projects. He speaks and writes widely on his work and has always been at the forefront of design and ecology.

Wild by Design, founded in 2014, is guided by O’Brien’s passion for plants and naturalistic planting design, but also by the desire to create gardens and landscapes that provide people with the same simple delights and pleasures as the wild rural landscapes of his youth.

The Perennial Outreach and Education Award was given to speaker and lecturer Rebecca McMackin, arboretum curator of Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York, and former director of horticulture of Brooklyn Bridge Park. This award recognizes an individual or organization who has distinguished themselves by advancing perennial plants and the industry through education, advocacy, awareness, outreach or promotion.

The PPA said that McMackin is a dynamic public speaker, writer, lecturer and advocate on the importance of ecological gardening, advocating for North American native plants and perennials. Her “Let your garden grow wild” TED Talk has been viewed more than a million times.

McMackin is the lead horticulturist for the American Horticultural Society and a program associate for the Harvard Divinity School’s Thinking with Plants & Fungi Initiative. She spent a decade as director of horticulture of Brooklyn Bridge Park, where she managed 85 acres of diverse parkland organically and with an eye toward habitat creation for birds, butterflies and soil microorganisms. Their research into cultivating urban biodiversity and ethical management strategies has influenced thousands of people and entire urban parks systems to adopt similar approaches.

The Perennial Excellence Award was given to Jack DeVroomen of DeVroomen Garden Products. This award recognizes an individual or organization who has distinguished themselves through their contributions, skills and efforts related to herbaceous perennial plants and the perennial plant industry.

A member of PPA since its inception more than 40 years ago, the PPA said that DeVroomen has been a friend, colleague and trusted resource for many people worldwide. He has spent the past 50 years traveling to the United States and Canada, representing the company that his grandfather founded 100 years ago, and introducing colleagues and plant enthusiasts to a plethora of European plant introductions. DeVroomen has made significant contributions to the perennial plant industry, both in North America and in Europe.

To learn more about the recipients and the awards program, visit perennialplant.org/page/2025SpecialRecognitionWinners.

Perennial Plant Association 2025 Landscape Design Awards

Also during the National Symposium, 15 landscape design companies were recognized in the 2025 Landscape Design Awards.

The entries comprise eight categories based on residential, commercial, educational, temporary/seasonal designs and price of production. The design may be a single project or a section of a larger project. The focus must be on perennials but may include other plants. Six of the eight entry categories are defined by the wholesale cost of the project, and two are for specialty garden designs.

This year’s recipients include:
Class I: Residential, less than $25,000
Award of Excellence: Reynolds Road Meadow, Andrew Marrs Garden Design

Class II: Residential, $25,000 to $100,000
Award of Excellence: Front Yard Meadow, Indigenous Ingenuities
Award of Merit: Macalester Raingardens, Carolyn Johnson, Field Outdoor Spaces, Inc
Award of Merit: Edgy Woodland Wonderland, Stefano Marinaz Landscape Architecture

Class III: Residential, more than $100,000
Award of Excellence: Ardrossan Farm, Donald Pell Gardens
Award of Merit: The Mosaic, CLINTON+RIES Landscape Architects
Award of Merit: Sky Garden, Fox Whyte Landscape Architecture

Class IV: Commercial, less than $25,000
Award of Merit: Green Infrastructure Garden at Hoffman Nursery, Preston Montague

Class V: Commercial, $25,000 to $100,000
Award of Excellence: Herbaceous High Street, Melissa Homer / Refugia Design

Class VI: Commercial, more than $100,000
Award of Excellence: Chapman Stables, CLINTON+RIES Landscape Architects
Award of Merit: The Harkin Institute, Kelly D. Norris

Class VII: Public Horticulture
Award of Merit: New Hope Gardens, Radovan Hajek, US Perennials and New Hope volunteers
Award of Merit: Chapel Meadow at Green-Wood Cemetery, LWLA

Class VIII: Temporary
Award of Excellence: DIOR Cruise 2025, Drummond Castle, Nicola Semple and Susan Begg, Semple Begg
Award of Merit: "Era of Adaptation: Chic Sustainability," Shireen Zia, EcoGardens Landscape Design

To learn more about the PPA Landscape Design Awards program and view more details, including photos, about each awarded project, visit perennialplant.org/page/2025LDAWINNERS.