bushy bluestem
Anatherum glomeratum
USDA zones5 to 9
SunNeeds full sun (6+ hours)
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size3 to 6 feet tall2 to 3 feet wide
- Habit
- Grass/grass-like
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- White , brown
- Foliage color
- Green or blue-green. copper in winter.
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Bushy bluestem (Anatherum glomeratum) is a grass for low maintenance gardens and woodland edges. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full sun and average to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. The fluffy flower heads look like silvery cotton candy and catch the light in fall and winter. Birds eat the seeds and use the plant for nesting material. Deer usually look elsewhere for a meal.
Pairs well with Cattail gayfeather, Dense blazing star, and Feather reed grass.
Native range
AL, AR, AZ, CA, and 25 more places. See all 29
AL, AR, AZ, CA, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, and WV.