Schizachyrium scoparium Free Spirit® Blue Flame™
Blooming Time
Exposure
With rose-infused, dusty blue, 1½-feet-tall basal stems and mid-blue foliage, Blue Flame™ looks beautiful and vibrant from spring to mid-summer, then gets even better. This is when the flowering stems push upward and transcend the foliage with scarlet stems and silvery seed heads. The combination of color is stunning, and the colors deepen as the season goes on. After frost, it changes to a soft tan color and can look good well into winter. Applications range from pathway lining to mass planting and companion planting with other perennials.
Details
Hardiness Zone:
Blossom Color:
Silver
Growth Habit:
Clump Forming
Max Height:
2'
Texture:
Recommended Spacing:
We sell this plant in these containers:
Special Characteristics
Features
Flowering stems push upward and transcend the foliage with scarlet stems and silvery seed heads.
Landscape Value
Applications range from pathway lining to mass planting and companion planting with other perennials.
Care
Watering:
Blue Flame™ Little Bluestem is very drought tolerant and typically only needs watering during the hottest days of summer.
Fertilizing:
Blue Flame™ Little Bluestem needs little fertilizer, but benefits from a single springtime or fall topdressing (about 1 inch deep) of organic compost or well rotted leaves. Alternatively, a springtime application of a slow release fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio (such as a 15-5-10) can be applied at a rate of about 10 pounds per 1000 square feet.
Pruning:
Blue Flame™ Little Bluestem should be enjoyed all winter long, then, during early April before it begins to grow again, it should be pruned or mowed back to ground level.