Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Cinnamon Sticks Little Bluestem: Slim Blue Grass, Red Fall Color
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Cinnamon Sticks little bluestem is an especially slender selection of a native prairie grass. Its very narrow stems and leaves stay vivid blue for most of the year, then turn a deep cinnamon red early in fall and hold that color for a long time. At about three feet tall and two feet wide, it adds height without hogging space.
It thrives in hot, dry, lean spots, which makes it one of the most natural grass partners for lavender you can find.
Cinnamon Sticks at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Schizachyrium scoparium 'Cinnamon Sticks' |
| Foliage | Vivid blue, turning cinnamon red to rusty burgundy in early fall |
| Seed heads | Small and tan with fluffy silver tufts, holding into winter |
| Size | 32 to 36 inches tall, 24 to 26 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts late August, peaks mid-September |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun |
| Deer | Resistant |
A grass that thinks like lavender
Little bluestem and lavender are both happiest in poor, dry, sunny ground, and both flop or rot when the soil is too rich or wet. That shared temperament makes Cinnamon Sticks easy to slip between lavender plants. Its slim, vertical clump contrasts with lavender's round mounds, and in summer its blue stems sit comfortably next to lavender's silver-gray leaves.
Then, in fall, it changes the whole bed. Long after the lavender is harvested, Cinnamon Sticks turns rusty red and glows in low autumn light, tipped with silver seed tufts. A row of it behind a lavender hedge gives the planting a second season. Lay out the rows in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Soil: lean to average and well-drained. Rich, wet soil causes flopping and crown rot.
- Water: regular while it establishes; very drought tolerant afterward.
- Feeding: none needed.
- Disease: few problems; rust can show up in humid summers.
- Winter: very cold hardy in Michigan. Leave the stems standing for color and structure, then cut back to a few inches in early spring.
As a warm-season grass, it greens up later in spring than cool-season grasses, so give it time.
Slopes, narrow beds and dried bundles
Its deep roots make little bluestem useful on sunny slopes where you want to hold soil in place. The slim habit fits narrow beds along driveways and walls. For crafts, cut stems in fall once they color up; they dry well and add warm rust tones to wreaths and dried lavender bundles.
About the plug tray
Cinnamon Sticks is offered as a 72-cell plug tray, which suits mass plantings, slopes and native gardens. See the product page for current availability, or visit the Wholesale Hub.
Frequently asked questions
Is it native?
Yes. Little bluestem is a native prairie grass, and Cinnamon Sticks is a slender, colorful selection of it.
When does it turn red?
Early in fall, earlier than many grasses, and it holds the cinnamon color for a long time.
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