Blue Heaven Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium 'MinnblueA' BLUE HEAVEN)
skiz-ah-KEER-ee-um skoe-PAR-ee-um 'MinnblueA' BLUE HEAVEN

Deciduous Perennial in the Poaceae Family

Schizachyrium scoparium, little bluestem, is a native North American prairie grass found across most of the contiguous United States, from southern Canada into northern Mexico, and is especially common in Midwestern tallgrass prairies. It forms upright, fine-textured clumps of blue-green foliage in summer that turn a rich copper-orange in fall — a color that holds through much of winter, along with fluffy, silvery seed heads that catch the low autumn light.

In 2022, it was named Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association.

Pros

  • Reliable copper-orange fall color that persists through winter
  • 2022 Perennial Plant of the Year — a proven, widely-grown native grass
  • Host plant for several skipper butterflies and the Common Wood-Nymph
  • Deer-resistant and thrives in poor, dry soil once established

Cons

  • Needs full sun — won't perform well in shade
  • Can flop or splay open in overly rich soil
  • Slow to fill in during its first year or two
  • Prone to crown rot if mulched too heavily right against the base
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 24 - 48 inches tall. 18 - 30 inches wide.
Sun Exposure Full Sun - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 3a - 10b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Pollinators, Blue Foliage, Colorful Foliage, Container, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Erosion Control, Full Sun, Full Sun, Good for Accents, Good for Borders, Good for Mass Planting, Good for Rain Garden, Grasses, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Low Maintenance, Medium, Medium, Most Popular, Nativar, Native to North America, Normal Soil, Perennial, Popular For Fall, Rabbit Resistant, Tolerant of Clay Soil, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Tolerant of Salt, Tolerant of Sandy Soil, Well-Drained Soil, Wet Site Tolerant, Woodland Garden
Flower Color
 

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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!