Brush Strokes Little Bluestem - 72-Cell Plug Tray

Brush Strokes is a native little bluestem whose stems stand straight up like the bristles of a paintbrush, bending with the wind and springing back. The stems are powder blue through summer.

In early fall the whole plant turns wine red, and the color lasts into winter. It grows about 3 feet tall, is very drought tolerant, and adds fine texture to borders, prairie plantings and slopes.

What it looks like

Very narrow, upright stems and leaves in powder blue form a slim, vertical, brush-like clump 32 to 36 inches tall and 22 to 26 inches wide. In late summer and early fall, small tufts of fluffy tan seeds appear along the upper stems. In early fall the foliage and stems turn a rich wine red to burgundy. At peak fall color the plant looks like an upright paintbrush of red-purple bristles with silvery seed tufts catching the light.

Growing it with lavender

Brush Strokes loves the same full sun and lean, dry soil as lavender, and its powder-blue summer stems and wine-red fall color complement lavender through the seasons.

Care

Plant in full sun in lean to average, well-drained soil; it is very drought tolerant and dislikes wet, rich soil, which can cause flopping or crown rot. Hardy in zones 3 to 9. Leave it standing through winter and cut it back to a few inches in early spring.

At a glance

• Botanical name: Schizachyrium scoparium
• Flower color: Tan
• Foliage: Powder blue turning wine red in fall
• Growth habit: Upright, brush-like clump
• Mature size: 32–36 in tall × 22–26 in wide
• USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
• Light: full sun
• Bloom start: Late-August
• Peak bloom: Mid-September
• Bloom pattern: Single Flush
• Deer resistance: Resistant
• Pollinator value: Fair

Sizes and shipping

One full 72-cell plug tray: 72 young starter plugs of this variety (cells about 1⅓ in. wide × 2½ in. deep), rooted and ready to pot up into quarts or gallons. Best for growers and nurseries. Potted plants and plug trays ship during our live-plant seasons, March 1–May 31 and October 1–November 30; June through September is local pickup only. Plugs, potted plants and trays do not ship to AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT or WA.