Cinnamon Sticks Little Bluestem - 72-Cell Plug Tray

Cinnamon Sticks is an especially slender little bluestem with vivid blue stems for most of the year. As autumn arrives, it turns a deep cinnamon red early and holds that color for a long time.

At about 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, it adds height to narrow spaces without crowding. This native grass thrives in hot, dry spots, helps with erosion control and is left alone by deer.

What it looks like

Very narrow, upright stems and leaves in vivid blue form a slender, vertical clump 32 to 36 inches tall and 24 to 26 inches wide. In late summer and early fall, small tan seed heads with fluffy silver tufts appear along the upper stems. Starting early in fall the whole plant turns a deep cinnamon red to rusty burgundy. At peak fall color it looks like a narrow bundle of reddish-brown sticks tipped with silver.

Growing it with lavender

Cinnamon Sticks likes the same sun and lean soil as lavender, and its slim blue stems fit neatly between lavender plants before turning cinnamon red in fall.

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: Vivid blue turning cinnamon red in fall
• Growth habit: Slender, upright clump
• Mature size: 32–36 in tall × 24–26 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.