Schizachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’
Blooming Time
Exposure
Exceedingly popular along the east coast, where it was introduced a few years ago, ‘The Blues’ is an amazing selection of our own native bluestem. This, like the native species, is terrific for its late season flowering, sending up masses of silvery blue racemes during early fall. As with the native species, these open to expose attractive silvery flowers which eventually dry to a soft tawny shade – staying this way to decorate the landscape throughout the winter months. The flowers are remarkable, but couple this with the foliage which is a rich iridescent steel blue that becomes suffused with tones of yellow and burgundy during fall, and you have a plant of exceptional worth. Try ‘The Blues’ on a large scale as a ground cover or use it as an accent plant in combination with other grasses, and all manner of sun loving, fall blooming perennials and ground covers.
Details
Hardiness Zone:
Blossom Color:
Blue to Blue Gray
Growth Habit:
Clump Forming
Max Height:
2½'
Texture:
Recommended Spacing:
We sell this plant in these containers:
Special Characteristics
Features
Native cultivar with terrific late summer/fall silvery blue flowers atop foliage of rich iridescent steel blue suffused with yellow and burgundy in fall.
Landscape Value
Superb specimen, accent, companion, or edging plant. Also excellent as a ground cover when mass planted.
Care
Watering:
'The Blues' Little Bluestem is very drought tolerant and typically only needs watering during the hottest days of summer.
Fertilizing:
'The Blues' 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:
'The Blues' 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.