As I sit here on Labor Day of 2021, I realize that this is the last big holiday of the summer and fall will soon be upon us.

All of the flowers we have nurtured through the spring and into summer will soon be ending their life cycle. And although it remains warm here in South Texas well into early November, there is still an opportunity to have color into the winter months. How?  Using ornamental grasses.

No matter whether your garden style is formal or informal, grasses  can not only add structure (in the absence of shrubs), but can also soften the edges of hardscaping and add another level of dimensional depth and texture to your beds…so I’ve done a bit of research.

Without further ado:

Plant Profile: Schizachyrium scoparim

Common Names: Little Bluestem; Beard Grass

Family: Poaceae

This grass is a native prairie species to most all of North America and is found everywhere except for California, Nevada and Oregon. It even grows across the US – Canadian border and down into northern Mexico.

Category: Perennial bunchgrass

Growth Habit: Upright, roundish mound

Height/Spread: 2 – 3Ft H/clumping

Foliage Characteristics: soft blue-ish green or gray-ish green foliage in Summer (May – June).

Bloom Time: In July, Little Bluestem  initiates flowering stalks, which reach four to five feet in height. In fall, it displays a coppery or mostly orange color with tints of red or purple that last all winter. It becomes a more orange-ish-bronze in winter until early spring, when it becomes more tan.

Hardiness Zones: 3 – 10

Soil/Light Requirements: The plant grows best in full sun and on well-drained soils. It is drought tolerant.

Propagation: By division

Insects/Pests: larval host to the following:

cobweb skipper, common wood nymph, crossline skipper, Dakota skipper, dusted skipper, Indian skipper, Leonard’s skipper, Ottoe skipper, and swarthy skipper.