Little Bluestem—Beneficial & Beautiful
In my previous post about how Grass Is Our Friend, I tried to briefly explain how grasses are not merely a boring chore or plant to ignore, but a vital part of the ecosystem which we benefit from in a number of ways. This post is going to focus specifically on the grass Little Bluestem.
image source: Mountain States Wholesale Nursery
Little Bluestem, with the scientific name Schizachyrium Scoparium, is one of the common grasses in North America. In Missouri, where I am from, there are fields of it all around. As a matter of fact, it is one of the grasses growing in and around my little homestead. I have also noticed a trend over the last few years. I've been seeing it pop up in commercial landscaping in entrances to parking lots, in front of building entrances, as well in the medians on high traffic streets. In the following example you can see Little Bluestem within a collection of other plants in the landscape design project for the Qualico Head Office, by a company aptly named Little Bluestem Architectural Landscaping and Design.
image source: Little Bluestem Architectural Landscaping and Design
In the picture below you can see how Little Bluestem looks in it's fall colors, in one of the restoration projects featured on Prairie Restorations, Inc.'s website. Why don't you go check out their other projects? Prairie meadows are quite beautiful and are becoming few and far between these days. It's nice to see a company whose goal is to rehabilitate land as well as make it aesthetically pleasing.
image source: Prairie Restorations, Inc.
Now that we have seen examples of how it is established for ornamental purposes, let's go over some key points on why this is more than a trendy fashionable plant. I'd like to point out that a big reason this grass has become so popular for residential and commercial landscaping has a lot to do with it's practicality, including the following reasons:
- it is heat and drought tolerant making it very easy to grow with little to no fuss
- it is native to most of North America. That means it's adapted to grow broadly across the country on it's own
- it is a perennial in zones 3-9 so it will not need replanted year after year
- it is pest resistant eliminating the need to use herbicides
- It produces a large amount of seeds which are wind born, allowing it to easily self propagate
- it provides valuable habitat and food during the winter for wildlife including Quail, Meadowlarks, and Skipper Butterflies
- it sequesters carbon which helps remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, cleaning the air
- it is a good food source for grazing animals such as cows and horses, which is a main reason farmers plant acres of it for hay.
- it can grow in pretty crappy soil that has too much acidity or alkalinity which means you don't have to fuss over amending the soil
- it is good for combating erosion because it grows fast and has deep roots that can stabilize banks and break up/aerate dense clay soils. If a piece of land has been tilled or otherwise disturbed, planting Little Bluestem will be a good first choice to remedy that situation.
Of course those aren't the only reasons, but I think you probably have a good idea by now of how Little Bluestem is not just ornamental but also practical; it is beneficial & beautiful.
Now that you are more familiar with Little Bluestem the next post will delve into another common grass growing here in/next to my homestead, which I first mentioned in my recent short story post WALK ALONG WITH ME #1. Stay tuned for the next post on Switch Grass!
Proud to be a new member of @qurator, a curation group whose purpose is to help new Steemians, aka Minnows, who are working hard on posting quality content, get established on steemit.
Looking for more quality posts from fellow Homesteaders, Permaculture Enthusiasts, and folks who believe in Sustainable Practices? Well then, check out the Homesteaders Online community, too. Hopefully you'll decide to join us.
Why don't you come say hello in the following chat rooms:
Homesteaders Online: https://discord.gg/VKCrWsS
Qurator: https://discord.gg/pJtWp57
Minnow Support Project: https://discord.gg/B4ZjGBa
Homesteaders Online: https://discord.gg/VKCrWsS
Qurator: https://discord.gg/pJtWp57
Minnow Support Project: https://discord.gg/B4ZjGBa