A LITTLE MORE LIFE
Little bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Native grass blades feed skipper caterpillars, and standing clumps shelter wildlife through winter.
MAKE IT FEEL AT HOME
A spot to thrive.
Plant in full sun and lean, well-drained soil; rich soil or too much water can make it flop.
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry soil / Average moisture
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft tall · 1½–3 ft wide
- Season of interest
- Fall–winter
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 3–9
- Garden role
- A textured ornamental grass
ONE GOOD SWAP
Instead of chinese silvergrass.
Miscanthus sinensis
Try little bluestem for a textured ornamental grass.
Compare plantsNATIVE TO YOUR PLACE
Find it in your state guide.
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Dig a little deeper.
Photo credits & licenses
Little bluestem: Montrealais · CC BY-SA 3.0
Chinese silvergrass: Jim Janke · CC BY 4.0
Resized, converted to WebP, and cropped in the layout. Each photo retains its listed license. All photo credits