#Blue stem grass full#

Seeds are eaten by songbirds and small mammals. Adult Common Wood-Nymph butterflies feed on rotting fruit and flower nectar. This is a larval host plant that supports various skipper larvae and Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) which have one brood from late May to October.

Attributes: Genus: Schizachyrium Species: scoparium Family: Poaceae Life Cycle: Perennial Recommended Propagation Strategy: Seed Country Or Region Of Origin: Eastern North America Wildlife Value: Provides excellent cover year round.

Tags: #heat tolerant #drought tolerant #wildlife plant #cover plant #low maintenance #winter interest #fall interest #cottage garden #mass planting #air pollution tolerant #year-round interest #pond margins #small mammals #disease resistant #ncemgva2018 #food source wildlife #highly beneficial coastal plants #cpp #NC native #deer resistant #blue-green leaves #skipper butterflies #border planting #pollinator plant #native ornamental grass #larval host plant #food source fall #NC Native Pollinator Plant #food source herbage #humidity tolerant #urban conditions tolerant #rocky soils tolerant #clay soils tolerant #bird friendly #dry soils tolerant #food source hard mast fruit #mammals #butterfly friendly #Piedmont Mountains FACU #Coastal FACU #black walnut toxicity tolerant #meadows #common wood-nymph butterfly #various skipper butterflies #container plant #coastal plant #insect resistant #food source winter #crystal skipper butterfly 'Blaze', 'Blue Heaven', 'Carousel', 'Prairie Blues', 'Standing Ovation', 'The Blues', 'Twilight Zone' Profile Video: See this plant in the following landscape: Courtyard Entrance Garden Cultivars / Varieties: VIDEO: Part of the Native Plant Picks series from the North Carolina Sea Grant led Coastal Landscapes Initiative. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. They adapt well to container plantings or can be used in borders or meadows. The feathery, fine blue-green leaves are attractive in a mass planting in a rain, cottage, coastal, or low water use garden. It is highly resistant to browsing by deer.Īs well as providing year-round cover for wildlife, little bluestem is a larval host plant to various butterflies and moths making it a great choice for a pollinator garden. Purplish bronze seed heads and yellow-orange leaves make for great fall interest in the landscape. The leaves and stems of this grass frequently have a bluish cast in summer, while the fall color is a very warm copper that does not fade throughout winter. Cut it back to the ground in late winter or early spring to promote new, attractive growth, and keep mulch away from the crown.

It is well-adapted to southern climates as it tolerates high heat, humidity, and salt. Once established, it has excellent drought resistance. It tolerates a wide range of soil conditions including infertility and clay.

#Blue stem grass full#

It performs best in average, dry to medium-moist, well-drained soil in full sun. The narrow erect clumps may grow to 2 to 4 feet tall with an equal spread.

It is native to eastern North America and is found naturally in a wide range of moist to dry habitats. Little bluestem is a perennial, ornamental, warm season grass in the Poaceae (grass) family with attractive foliage. Aside from bluestem grass, I also love sideoats grass which is also easy to grow and looks nice.Phonetic Spelling ski-za-KRY-ee-um sko-PAIR-ee-um Description

If you grow them from seeds, it won't be expensive. My advice would be to plant several different types of grasses to see which do better and look better. They have a slightly pinkish hue when they grow.ĭepending on your soil, little bluestem may or may not do well. The bluestem has worked fine, I grew them from seeds. May 26, Yes, I have little bluestem grass along with several other types of grasses in my yard for ornamental purposes. I might give bluestem grass a try again in the future as hay, but I will definitely buy from a different seller. So maybe it was the grass I bought that was problematic. I also found out later that if bluestem grass is harvested too late, it can't be used as hay because it becomes too difficult for the animal to digest. I'm not sure which type of bluestem grass it was though. I got my horse a bag once but didn't buy it again because he refused to eat it. Sometimes bluestem grass is used as hay for horses.