Little bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Blue-green in summer, copper in fall; nesting material for bees.
Hardiness: zones 3 to 9
Light: full sun
Size: about 3 ft tall, 1.5 ft wide
From: North America
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.
Good for: wildlife, butterfly and moth caterpillars.
Native to: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest & Great Lakes, Great Plains & Texas, Rockies & Great Basin, Desert Southwest, Eastern Canada, Western Canada. Hardy in zones 3 to 9.
The story
Little bluestem was the main grass of the mixed prairie, the one that fed the bison. It is blue-green all summer and then turns the color of a new penny, and it holds that copper right through the snow.
Planting
Full sun and dry, lean soil. Plant plugs a foot or so apart, or sow in late spring.
Growing
Cut it back to a few inches in early spring. No fertilizer, no water once settled.
Harvest and use
Seed for sparrows and juncos, nesting sites for bumblebee queens at the base of the clumps, and a host for several skipper butterflies.
What to watch for
It flops in rich soil or shade.
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More native and wild plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home