
Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). Credit: Hoffman Nursery, Inc.
The dead of winter is a particularly hard time to get excited about plants. Nothing native to our region is really in bloom. But, flowers are not the only beauty that plants have to offer. Many plants have what the horticulture community calls “winter interest.” Winter interest provides texture, and even color, to a winter garden. A group of plants that can provide wonderful winter interest are the grasses. For plant of the month of February we’ll be looking at little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium.
Little bluestem is a mound forming grass, so it stays a neat little clump about 2-4 ft wide and growing equally as tall. This species grows best in full sun and well drained soils. Once established, little bluestem is drought tolerant and does well in heat, humidity, and tolerates salt. During the summer months, the leaves and stems put on a bluish to even slightly purple cast and the seed heads have a beautiful fine texture. In the winter the stems and leaves turn to a bright copper or golden color that looks absolutely stunning in the evening light or against snow like we got in January. Little bluestem even does well in container gardening.
Little bluestem, like all our native grasses, are a very important part of our ecosystem and provide numerous values to wildlife. The clumps provide cover year round, it is a host plant for a number of skipper butterflies and the common wood-nymph (Cercyonis pegala), and birds and small mammals eat the seeds in winter. For these reasons and more, everyone should include some little bluestem or one of the several cultivars in their landscape.
Further reading: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/schizachyrium-scoparium/