Little bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium · Poaceae Popular
Blue-green summer blades turn copper and bronze in autumn and hold their colour through winter. It flops in rich or wet soil, so plant it lean and dry.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers early August to mid September
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around little bluestem
The planner designed this bed around little bluestem when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting 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 stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Little bluestem × 3, blue-green leaves
- 2 Common thyme × 8, lavender
- 3 Heath aster 'Snow Flurry' × 6, white
- 4 Stiff goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 5 Fernleaf peony × 1, red
- 6 Yarrow × 3, pink
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 5, purple
- 8 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- Stands through winter. Left uncut, it holds its shape until March, when the perennials have gone.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 46% of the planted ground. The front edge is finished with common thyme and heath aster 'Snow Flurry'. The scheme leans cool (lavender, pink, purple and blue) and uses yellow and red for warmth, with white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. 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 goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The matrix grass of the prairie: plant it in groups with coneflowers and blazing star rising through it. Its blue summer colour turns copper in autumn and holds all winter. Rich soil or shade makes it flop.
- Prairie and meadow planting
- Copper winter colour
- Poor, dry soil
What to plant with little bluestem
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Purple coneflower: adds the flowers, late June to early September.
- Blazing star: adds the flowers, mid July to mid August.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': adds the flowers, mid August to mid October; bold leaves against its fine ones; happy in the same dry soil.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Little bluestem vs Switchgrass 'Shenandoah'.
Questions about little bluestem
Does little bluestem need sun or shade?
Little bluestem 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 grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should little bluestem 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 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many little bluestem 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 a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is little bluestem 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?
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 does little bluestem look like in winter?
Little bluestem 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 good for bees and butterflies?
Little bluestem 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.
More Schizachyrium
- Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation'
- 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
- Ornamental grasses under 3 feet
- 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 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early August to mid September; feathery plumes; tan
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; blue-green, bronze
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- 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.