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Grass · Poaceae Draft — unreviewed

Little bluestem

Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash

Also called little bluestem.

Upright native bunchgrass with blue-green summer blades that turn copper-orange in fall and hold colour all winter. The backbone of prairie and meadow plantings.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 0.6–1.2 m (2–4 ft) tall and 0.5–0.6 m (1–2 ft) wide; medium growth, about 3 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #1 install size.

00.511.52mPlanting0.3 × 0.3 mYear 30.6 × 0.4 mYear 100.9 × 0.5 mMature0.9 × 0.5 m

Design notes

  • Flops in rich or irrigated soil; upright cultivars (e.g. 'Standing Ovation') help.
  • Cut back in late winter.

Regions

Native range: Most of North America.

Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:

NortheastSoutheastSouthwest

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Related plants

Shenandoah switchgrass
Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' · Grass · 0.9–1.2 m (3–4 ft)
Northern sea oats
Chasmanthium latifolium · Grass · 0.6–1.2 m (2–4 ft)
Pink muhly grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris · Grass · 0.6–0.9 m (2–3 ft)
Common yarrow
Achillea millefolium · Perennial · 0.5–0.9 m (1–3 ft)
Butterfly weed
Asclepias tuberosa · Perennial · 0.5–0.8 m (1–2 ft)
Blue grama
Bouteloua gracilis · Grass · 0.3–0.6 m (1–2 ft)

Plan with Little bluestem

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden