Lot Location: 6.7
Little bluestem is an excellent choice for meadows and prairie-style gardens and is also recommended for use in rain gardens.
With such a mighty root system, little bluestem grass is frequently planted in disturbed areas such as river banks, slopes, and urban trail landscapes to prevent erosion.
S. scoparium works well planted en masse and with asters such as Michaelmas daisies, and with other flowering natives including Coreopsis tripteris, pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida), Mohr’s rosinweed (Silphium mohrii) and orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida).
The dried foliage and flower stalks of little bluestem grass should be cut back to make way for the new spring foliage—but not until late March because the seeds provide winter food for song birds.
Little bluestem attracts butterflies and other pollinators but is not appealing to deer.