Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation'
Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation' · Poaceae Popular
A little bluestem selected to stay bolt upright even in rich soil. The blue-green leaves are tinted purple, and turn fiery orange, red and purple in autumn.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Early August to mid September
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Accent
A bed built around little bluestem 'Standing Ovation'
The planner designed this bed around little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) contemporary bed in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' × 1, tan
- 2 Common thyme × 8, lavender
- 3 Woodland strawberry × 4, white
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 5, yellow
- 5 Dwarf English boxwood × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Wild quinine × 5, white
- 7 Blue allium × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only plumes. The others are dense clusters, open bowls, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only tan. Tan sits between stronger colours and calms them.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does dwarf English boxwood.
Why here
- Forward of its place. At 3½ ft it belongs at the back of the bed: this far forward it stands in the way of what is behind it.
- One plant. An accent is used singly, like a punctuation mark.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From early August to mid September.
- Part of the bed's peak. With woodland strawberry, brown-eyed Susan and wild quinine in early August: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
- Stands through winter. Left uncut, it holds its shape until March, when the perennials have gone.
Planned as a contemporary bed: 33 of the 33 plants that stand in groups (100%) are set out in a pattern with their neighbours: a straight row, a triangle, or five like the five on a dice. Cool colours (lavender and blue) with yellow as the warm note, and tan and white to calm things between them. Common thyme and woodland strawberry finish the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: accent. An upright plant used singly, like a punctuation mark, and repeated at intervals to give the bed rhythm.
The species often flops in garden soil; this one does not. The autumn colour lasts well into winter and looks its best against snow.
- Upright native grass for borders
- Autumn and winter colour
- Dry, poor soil
What to plant with little bluestem 'Standing Ovation'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Purple coneflower: in flower together for five weeks, from early August.
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies': low enough (20 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Butterfly weed: low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about little bluestem 'Standing Ovation'
Does little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' need sun or shade?
Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early August to mid September. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Mid August to mid September |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid August to mid September |
| Zone 5 | Early August to mid September |
| Zone 6 | Early August to mid September |
| Zone 7 | Early August to mid September |
| Zone 8 | Early August to mid September |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 3½ ft (100 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one at a time, repeated along the bed at intervals; a slender one reads better as a clump of three.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat little bluestem 'Standing Ovation'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after little bluestem 'Standing Ovation'?
Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' is over by mid September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies': from mid September to late October, 20 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Montauk daisy: from mid September to late October, 3 ft tall.
What does little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' look like in winter?
Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' turns the colour of straw and, left uncut, stands through the winter, with seed for the birds. Cut it down in late winter, before the new shoots come up.
Is little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' good for bees and butterflies?
Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' is visited by pollinators, butterflies and songbirds.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of common wood-nymph feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
It is native to the United States and Canada (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Schizachyrium
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium
- Little bluestem 'The Blues' Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues'
In these guides
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Garden plants native to Canada
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
- Host plants for the common wood-nymph
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 3½ ft (100 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early August to mid September; feathery plumes; tan
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; blue-green, red
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Poaceae
- Comes from
- Eastern North America
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, songbirds
- Host plant for
- Common wood-nymph
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, heat, humidity, black walnut, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.