Little Bluestem Grass

Little Bluestem 'Blue Paradise' (Schizachyrium scoparium 'Blue Paradise') is an ornamental grass that changes colour with the seasons. It forms an upright clump about 90cm tall and 60cm wide, blue green through summer, then turning bronze and copper from autumn and holding that warmth right through winter. It is a North American prairie grass, which is why heat, drought and poor soil barely register.

Why you'll love it

• Two plants in one year. Cool blue green in summer, then bronze and copper through the cold months, so the bed keeps working when the flowering plants have finished.
• Upright, not floppy. The clump stands to 90cm without splaying open, which is the failure most soft ornamental grasses have by their second season.
• It thrives on being ignored. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant, frost hardy and happy in poor soil, with one cut back a year the only job.
• Seed heads for birds. Fluffy seed heads catch low light through autumn and feed small seed eating birds into winter.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 40cm apart in drifts of odd numbers. At that spacing the clumps read as a continuous textured band while each one keeps its own upright shape.

Borders and rockeries. The fine texture sits well against broad leaved shrubs, and it holds up in a gravel garden or a hot rockery pocket where softer grasses burn.

Pots and containers. A 400mm pot suits a single clump, and the winter colour carries a container through months when most potted plants offer nothing.

Growing Little Bluestem in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, without exception. Shade makes it stretch and lean, and the autumn colour never develops properly. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi-arid gardens, and it is frost hardy. In humid subtropical summers it is a poorer performer.

Soil. Free draining and on the lean side. Poor sandy or gravelly ground is genuinely better for it than rich soil, which produces soft growth that flops. Avoid anything that stays wet in winter.

Water and feed. Water fortnightly through the first summer to establish, then rely on rainfall in most seasons. Do not feed it. Fertiliser is the fastest way to turn a tidy upright clump into a floppy one.

Pruning. Cut the whole clump back to about 10cm in late winter, before new growth starts. That is the entire maintenance program, and it matters that you wait: the bronze foliage standing through winter is half the point of the plant.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as tube stock, so expect a small young clump of a few blades rather than a full grass. That suits the way it is used, since mass planting takes numbers and tubes make a large drift affordable.

Grasses establish quickly. Plant in spring or autumn, water through the first summer, and expect a clump of reasonable size by the end of the first season and full 90cm height in the second. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read our guide to designing with ornamental grasses.
• Browse the full grasses and strappy leaf collection.
• Compare options for landscaping with grasses.
• See other plants with autumn colour.

Common questions

How many do I need for a drift?

At 40cm spacing, around six plants per square metre. Odd numbered groups of seven or more read better than a neat row.

When do I cut it back?

Late winter, down to about 10cm, just before new growth begins. Cutting in autumn removes the bronze winter display you bought it for.

Will it flop over?

Only if it is overfed or grown in shade. In full sun and lean soil the clump stays upright at 90cm without staking.

Does it self seed?

It can set viable seed in favourable conditions. If that concerns you, cut the clump back in late winter before the seed heads shed.