Description
Schizachyrium scoparium
CT DR RG
Soil: Sandy, Loam, Well-drained
Moisture: Dry to Average
Light: Full to Part Sun
Plant Height: 1.5 to 3 feet
Plant Width: 1 to 2 feet
Pests: None
Landscape Value: Good for mass planting in borders, rock gardens and meadows. Great for sun-baked areas.
A clump-forming grass with fine-textured, blue-green leaves that turn a striking reddish-tan to coppery in the autumn and persist through winter snows. Purplish-bronze flower clusters rise above the foliage in August. Flowers are followed by fuzzy, silvery-white seed heads that attract small birds. Provides cover and nesting materials for native bees. Best planted in full sun to avoid flopping late in season. Readily self-seeds so not recommended for small gardens. Tolerates heat, humidity, drought, erosion, black walnut, and a wide range of soils, but not wetland soils. Larval host to Dusted Skipper, Crossline Skipper, Indian Skipper, and Common Wood-nymph butterflies.
1 gallon pot
Photo credits:
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (photo by Norman G. Flaigg)
Missouri Botanical Garden
North Carolina State Extension (photo by Tom Potterfield)
