Seasons of Schizachyrium

Summer loveliness

Schizachyrium scoparium or little bluestem is my favorite grass. This tough prairie native thrives in full sun and puts up with part shade. I have fallen head over heels for its steely blue foliage, spectacular fall color, and elegant winter silhouette. 

I've planted a bunch in the rain garden in different zones. What has been interesting is where it chooses to seed itself. Note, this is not an aggressive self-seeding grass, but when given ideal conditions, it seems to wander around a little bit. The rain garden is allowed to be a free-for-all of self-seeding and colonization. The little bluestem has been at the core of my (continually) evolving sense of garden design and maintenance. Perhaps it was two years immersed in ecological restoration, but at this point my focus has shifted. I'm going to plan and plant the garden areas and then, other than weed, see what they do. I'm not keeping plants to rigid forms or the inflexible order of rows or patterns. I want to see what, when allowed to do their thing, plants communities form or dissolve. Call it survival of the fittest. Darwinian garden design?

With it's friends Amsonia illustris in the fall.

I have straight species little bluestem plus the cultivars 'Carousel' and 'Standing Ovation' planted in the rain garden. They are hanging out in the shadier section and sort of just sitting there. I have two self-seeding plants. One is in the mid-tier of the garden that will on occasion flood if we get several inches of rain. The other is on the upper tier in the most sun. That one is something very special. It is right at the edge along the path. It is topping out around three feet and staying in a nice tidy clump. In summer it is a glorious lace curtain powdery blue-green softness and really shimmers in the sun. The fall color is typical of Schizachyrium - a mauve, carmine, sand, purple, sienna, maroon kaleidoscope of autumn. What has impressed me this year, though, is it is still standing in winter. Now an attractive sandy blond, it keeps popping back up, even after a heavy wet snow. So much to love with this grass! 

Hanging out in winter

If you get a chance, I urge you to try a little bluestem in your gardens. Not only is it gorgeous in every season, it also feeds a host of skipper butterflies and some songbirds. Beauty and beneficial!