Shining Star™ Bluestem Grass (Schizachyrium)
Perennial
- A fresh look for native bluestem grass!
- Variegated blades of creamy white & green foliage blush pink in cooler temps.
- Fall flowers are loved by birds.
- This native grass provides food & shelter to wildlife, without attracting deer.
- Zones 4-10, sun, 18" tall x 24" wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
A native North American ornamental grass, this perennial is an excellent choice for slopes and is an ideal plant for erosion control, thanks to its deep root systems. To add to its useful nature, it provides a food and shelter source for birds. If you're looking to add easy-care interest to your garden and support wildlife (without attracting deer), this bluestem grass would be a great addition! Tolerant of a variety of soils and climates, Shining Star™ bluestem grass is a great choice for almost any garden!
Details
Common name: Little bluestem, beard grass
Zone: 4-10
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun)
Height x width: 15-18″ (30" in bloom) x 24″
Foliage color: Green with cream white variegation
Flower color: Purple plumes
Bloom time: Late summer, early fall
Features: Suitable for slopes, rare & unusual, native, heat tolerant, fall color, drought tolerant, deer resistant, container plants, cold tolerant, best for beginners
Uses: Suitable for slopes, erosion control, mass planting, border, naturalized gardens
How to Grow
Light: Performs best in full sun (> 6 hours sun).
Water: Has average water needs but will tolerate drought once established.
Spacing: 2 to 3 feet apart
Fertilizing: It does not require fertilizer.
Winterizing: Can leave foliage standing for winter.
Maintenance & pruning: Prune to the ground in late winter before new growth has emerged.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
Plants arrived yesterday. I unpackaged immediately. They looked a bit dry so I watered immediately and let them sit overnight. This morning they have their arms raised and are singing praises! Yes, they are small but 1 qt. size will be time to watch them grow and flourish. Will plant in 24 to 48, as per instructions.
I ordered my plants including Shining Star™ Bluestem Grass in the heat of summer, so it was my fault entirely when they showed up looking a little distressed….however, I watered them promptly, kept them in the shade for a week or so to give them time to recover, slowly reacclimated them to the sun and then planted in my garden. It has recovered quite nicely and I can’t wait until this one mature!!
Beautiful next to my mugo pine.
Always happy with my purchases from Great Garden plants. Thank you!
Ordered 7 of these. They looked good at least from the top. Even with
great care only 3 survived and not sure they will make it through the winter. The top of the plants looked very nice but when taken out of the
pot only tiny roots on the sides and nothing in the middle. Pot bound plants that were not able to sustain themselves. Poor stock. When I asked for a refund it was not given due to no pictures of the dead plants that had wasted away.
Hello! We're sorry to hear about this experience. We do note in our 60-day guarantee that the process requires you to send us a photo of your plant, your order number, and a brief description of the problem within 60 days of receipt of your order. We care about the satisfaction of our customers and would love a chance to assist you further. please contact [email protected] with your order number. Happy gardening!
Plants arrived looking good and healthy and in a good condition.
Ordered three plants and only one survived. Wanted pictures of dead plants but there was nothing left of them. Not good.
Hi Carol, we're sorry to hear about your experience. Please reach out to our customer service team at [email protected] so we can assist you further. We appreciate your feedback and hope to make it right.
arrived quite small but it is growing nicely in its fist summer!
So far everything looks dead, despite excellent care and decent weather. Grass is usually pretty easy to grow. I'm very disappointed.
Hello! We're sorry you're having trouble with your plants. Our team of horticulture experts would love to take a closer look for you. Please contact [email protected] with your order number and photos of the plants, and our team will begin assisting you. All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
One rose plant and the grass were dead when I received them, the store was helpful and replaced them, but the replacement arrived dead also so that is why the middle of the road rating. Had good customer service, but poor quality plants. I paid for three plants but only have one good one out of five!!!
We are so sorry to hear about your experience with this plant! If you have not done so please make sure to reach out again to our customer service team [email protected].
Hi,I ordered 7 plants. I had hi hopes for these plants. 1 was almost dead when I got it. The rest looked like they were struggling but hopeful. I followed directions for acclimation and keeping soil moist before planting. 4 more died before I got them into the ground. Of the 2 planted. I is looking promising. The other is still struggling. I feel like you need to put a stronger root system on the plants before sending out. Not worth $78.00
We apologize that you received plants that are not up to our standards. While we try our best to provide exceptional service, some factors, like shipping and handling, are outside our control, and issues like this can sometimes happen. Please email pictures of the plants to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we have a 60-day guarantee on all our plants. If you received your plants within that timeframe, we would be happy to apply your warranty once we receive the pictures. Happy Gardening!
https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/our-guarantee
It looked ok when it arrived but quickly started turning brown. It was carefully tended and the perennials around it are healthy. I have lots of Standing Ovation bluestem in my yard and it is healthy. Very unsatisfactory.
We've got you covered with our 60-day guarantee. We guarantee that you will be satisfied with your purchase and that your plants will arrive healthy, free of pests and diseases, and true to name. Have a problem with your plant? We make it easy to place a claim via email, automated claim process, or use the chat bubble. Simply send us a photo of your plant, your order number, and a brief description of the problem within 60 days of receipt of your order. While we do not accept returns, we are happy to issue refunds. Refunds are based on the plant cost and do not include shipping charges. Allow up to 2 weeks for processing refunds. After 60 days, we cannot be responsible for the plants in your care and will not cover problems with overwintering, animals, insects, diseases, improper planting, drought, flooding, poor drainage, etc. Our goal is that you are successful with our plants (and gardening in general), so our expert staff is here to assist you with any problem you may experience. Any plant shipped dormant in spring is guaranteed to break dormancy, even if it takes longer than 60 days.
Please note: our guarantee does not cover plants grown outside of their recommended growing zones. Verify your USDA zone by clicking 'Growing Zone' in the site navigation and entering your zip code before purchasing.
The plant was sold as quart size but it was fairly obvious it had been recently moved into a quart size container as soil was loose around a smaller root ball. Otherwise the plant was healthy, and it’s doing well.
Hello! Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear that you received a plant not up to our standards. Our growing team regularly checks our plants for strong root growth and plants are not released to be shipped until they have robust roots. We do have a 60-day guarantee on all of our plants. If you have any trouble, do not hesitate to reach out to us. Happy Gardening!
https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/our-guarantee
Even though customer support was very kind and sent a replacement for the one that died, the replacement didn’t live either. In fact, from my full order and 2 replacements, only 4 survived out of the 10 I received. Won’t be ordering here again.
Hello! We're so sorry to hear that you've had trouble with your new plants. As you mentioned, all of our plants are covered under our 60-day guarantee and we're happy to hear that our customer service team was able to assist. Our customer support team and horticulture experts are always here to help out when you have garden troubles. At the first signs of stress you are always welcome to contact us for expert guidance specific to your garden. Happy Gardening!
Half the plants I bought died because they did not have enough root stock to be sold. They need to do it right or not at all.
Hello! We strive to ship young plants with well established root systems. Our growing team is constantly monitoring root growth in our green house. Please email photos of the plants you received to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Happy Gardening!
Do rabbits eat this grass?
Little Bluestem is generally deer and rabbit resistant. However, if either are a problem in your garden, you may want to take extra steps to protect your plants.
I purchase Shining Star "Bluestem Grass" last summer and planted along with Hello Spring "Feather Reed Grass".
Why Bluestem hasn't even sprung by middle of June like Feather Reed grass? No sign of growth at all. Will it show-up in early summer and bloom late summer like you have described?
Thank you for contacting us! This plants bloom time is Late summer and early fall. Perhaps the first season in 2022 the grass it was establishing the roots. With proper care you should have growth this season. Please feel free to send us pictures to [email protected] with the name of the plant and order and we can better advise.