Ornamental · Poaceae
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Give it full sun and lean, dry soil and this forgiving native grass will stand proud from summer straight through the heart of winter.
Full sun
Every 10–21 days
USDA 3–9
2–4 ft · 0.6–1.2 m
Overview
Little bluestem is one of the steadfast grasses of the North American prairie, a friendly clump-forming warm-season native found from Canada all the way down into the South. It settles into a neat upright tuft, most often 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) tall, with fine blades that glow blue-gray through summer. Where fussier grasses would struggle in poor ground, this easygoing one is genuinely happy there.
The best part arrives late in the year. As the nights turn cool, the leaves warm into copper, mahogany, and burgundy, and soft silvery seed heads glow in the low autumn light. Those seed heads and standing stems keep their shape all winter, so you get food for the birds and welcome structure in the garden just when almost everything else has gone quiet.
This really is about as easygoing as a plant can be, with a single simple wish: keep it lean and sunny. Rich soil, too much shade, or a heavy hand with water make it grow soft and splay open at the center, so a hands-off approach is exactly what keeps it standing tall and proud.
Care
The short version: full sun, lean and well-drained soil, and almost no water once your plant has settled in. Leave the fertilizer alone, and shear the old growth all the way to the ground in late winter before the new shoots appear.
Light
Give little bluestem full sun, and honestly the more it gets the happier it will be. A little light shade is fine, but push past that and the stems grow weak and start to lean, which sadly dims the fall color too.
Water
Once it has found its feet, this is a drought-tough grass that gets by on rainfall alone. Water it just enough to help it settle, then feel free to ease right off. Plants in dry, lean ground stand much straighter, and roughly every 10 to 21 days is plenty even through a hot spell.
Soil
Lean really is the whole secret. Average, dry to medium, well-drained soil suits it beautifully, and it takes sandy, rocky, or clay ground in stride. Just keep it clear of wet or overly rich spots, where it turns soft and flops. Any pH from 5.5 to 7.5 will make it content.
Temperature
You will be amazed how hardy this grass is. It brushes off winter lows down to -40°F (-40°C) and summer heat above 109°F (43°C), which is why it feels at home across so much of the continent.
Humidity
There is no need to fuss over open-air humidity for a prairie grass. What it truly appreciates is good air movement around the clump, which quietly keeps the odd bout of rust from ever settling in.
Feeding
Please skip the feeding altogether. Fertilizer is the quickest way to spoil this plant, coaxing out soft, lush growth that flops and loses its color. Lean soil is exactly the treat it is after.
Pruning
There is really only one cut to remember, so it could not be simpler. Shear the old growth right to the ground in late winter or early spring before the new shoots break, and the fresh clump will fill itself back in without any help from you.
Repotting
Settled clumps almost never need dividing, so you can leave them be. The gentle hint that it is time comes when the center dies out or the clump opens up and loses steam, and then you simply lift and split it in spring.
Size & spacing
Look for a clump about 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) tall with a spread near 18 to 24 inches (46 to 61 cm). Set your plants at those distances so each one holds its tidy upright shape with plenty of air moving between them.
When to plant
Little bluestem is a warm-season grass, so it patiently waits for real warmth before it wakes up, and there is no need to rush it. Start seed in early spring, move young plants out after the last frost, and you can look forward to the grass coloring up and lifting its seed heads from late summer into winter.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Late winter to early spring, about 8-10 weeks before last frost
- Plant: Spring after last frost into early summer
- Harvest: August to February; reddish-brown flowers followed by fluffy silvery-white seed heads persisting through winter
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
The good news is that this grass runs into very few real troubles, and the ones it does meet almost always come from a spot that is a touch too generous. Learn the early signs below and you will find the answer usually lies in sun, soil, and a little restraint, not in reaching for sprays.
Stems lean over and splay by late season
If your grass starts leaning outward and splitting open, take heart: this is just lodging, and it is easy to correct. It usually means the plant has had life a little too easy, with too much shade, soil that is too rich, or a bit too much water pushing out soft growth. Move the clump somewhere brighter, leave the fertilizer in the shed, and if your site tends to stay lush, a naturally upright pick like Standing Ovation or Blue Heaven will keep you standing tall.
Fix:
- Site in full sun
- Grow in lean, dry, well-drained soil with no added fertilizer
- Reduce supplemental watering once established
- Choose sturdy upright cultivars such as Standing Ovation or Blue Heaven
Baby seedlings turning up around the clump
Finding little seedlings nearby is nothing to fret over. As a healthy native, little bluestem sets plenty of good seed, so self-seeding simply means it is content where you put it. Should you want it to stay in one place, just tug the young volunteers out by hand while they are still small, and snipping the seed heads off before they ripen keeps new ones from appearing at all.
Fix:
- Remove unwanted seedlings by hand
- Cut back seed heads before they mature if spread is unwanted
Orange powdery flecks on the blades
If you spot orange, powdery dots that smudge onto your fingers, you have found a touch of rust, a fungus that turns up on the leaves here and there. There is really no cause for alarm, because it stays on the surface and tends to fade by itself. Just give the plant plenty of sun and breathing room, keep water at the roots rather than overhead, and clip off any blades that look badly marked.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation
- Avoid overhead watering
- Remove severely affected foliage
Toxicity
Here is some reassuring news for pet owners: little bluestem is non-toxic to cats, dogs, horses, and everyone else at home. It is a native forage grass that grazing livestock eat and seed-hungry birds adore, so you can plant it with an easy mind. The one small thing to keep in view is that grass pollen may bother people who get hay fever.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
You can relax with a cat in the house. If yours grazes on the blades and later coughs one up, that is the same gentle reaction any grass can cause, and nothing to worry about.
Dogs Safe
There is nothing harmful in these leaves, so let a curious dog snuffle around all it likes. A dog that swallows a big mouthful might be a little sick afterward, but that is as far as it goes.
Horses Safe
Horses can graze little bluestem happily and without concern. This is a prized prairie forage, so it belongs in their diet rather than off-limits.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits are welcome to nibble the leaves, and none of it will do them any harm.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep all eat this grass out on the range. It has fed grazing animals as pasture and hay for a very long time.
Birds Safe
Songbirds are drawn to the seed heads all winter and tuck into the standing clumps for cover, and every bit of it is safe for them.
People Safe
Growing and handling this grass is completely safe for you. The only small thing worth a mention is that its pollen can stir up hay fever in anyone prone to it.
Pets that nibble grass blades may occasionally vomit or have mild stomach upset, as with any grass; grass pollen can affect allergy-sensitive people.
Varieties
Plant breeders have gently coaxed out forms of little bluestem with sturdier posture and richer color, which is a lovely head start for a new grower. These are the named cultivars you are most likely to come across.
Standing Ovation
You can count on this one to stay bolt upright even in richer soil, with blue blades tipped in red that settle into a clean red-maroon come fall rather than browning out.
Blue Heaven (MinnBlueA)
Raised at the University of Minnesota as a tall, narrow, upright clump, its blue-gray summer leaves warm into burgundy-red touched with pink and purple as the season cools.
The Blues
Loved for its striking blue-tinted foliage and rich burgundy-red autumn color, though it can lean open a little late in the season.
Twilight Zone
A patented pick treasured for the unusual silvery-mauve leaves that carry a wash of purple.
Carousel
A compact, smaller form that folds the same many-colored foliage into a neater, more contained clump.
Companions
Little bluestem looks most at home with other sun-loving prairie plants that share its taste for lean, dry, well-drained ground.
Plant near
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum): Native warm-season prairie grass with the same lean, dry, full-sun requirements for naturalistic plantings
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): Drought-tolerant prairie perennial that pairs in full sun and well-drained soil
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia): Sun-loving prairie companion thriving in the same dry, lean conditions
How to propagate
You have two easy paths: raise little bluestem from seed for an affordable mass planting, or split existing clumps whenever you want to hold on to a particular cultivar's color.
SeedEasy
Sow into a firm seedbed in early spring; can also start indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost · One to two growing seasons
Seed is the gentlest, most affordable way to cover a lot of ground, and it is very forgiving to get going. Press it into a firm seedbed in early spring, or start it indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your last frost so warm spring soil can wake it up. Allow it one to two growing seasons to settle, and once it feels at home it will kindly seed a few more around for you.
DivisionEasy
Spring as new growth begins · One growing season
When you want a named cultivar to keep its exact color, division is your friend, since those shades rarely come true from seed. Lift and gently split a settled clump in spring as the new shoots push up, and the pieces will take hold within a single growing season. It is also a lovely way to rescue an old clump that has begun to hollow out in the middle.
Myths
Little bluestem needs rich, watered, and fertilized soil to grow well.
You can happily let this one go. It is a prairie grass at heart, so lean, dry ground and plenty of sun are precisely where it grows tallest and colors up best. Give it rich soil, extra water, or fertilizer out of kindness and it only turns soft, weak, and splits open at the center, so a little neglect really is the kindest thing.