Schizachyrium scoparium 'Little Red Fox' (Little Bluestem) Unity Grown

Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Little Red Fox’ is an adorable dwarf cultivar of little bluestem, a native warm season perennial grass that grows in graceful clumps with tons of color. Showy and compact, 'Little Red Fox' little bluestem lives up to its name, growing to a mature size of just 12-30" tall with a spread of 18-24” wide and putting on a delightful display of warm yellows, oranges, and reds in the autumn months, adding multi-season fall appeal to an already consistent and attractive grass. Similar to several other bluestems, the 'Little Red Fox' cultivar's foliage emerges in the spring with a blue-green hue, but as the summer progresses,  the foliage tends toward the fiery and tawny colors of a bright red fox. Schizachyrium scoparium ‘'Little Red Fox’ prefers full sun sites, though it will tolerate some morning or afternoon shade, and performs best in medium to dry, well-drained soils. 

Like other little bluestems, Schizachyrium scoparium 'Little Red Fox' works great in tougher spots of the home garden, proving tolerant to intense heat and drought, poor and rocky sites, deer damage, and even compacted clay soils. Though its flowers do not attractive pollinators are instead pollinated by wind, ‘Little Red Fox’ is a bountiful food source for several songbird species in the fall and winter and acts as an important host plant for several species of butterfly, including Leonard's Skipper (Hesperia leonardus) and the Indian Skipper (Hesperia sassacus), both of which are endangered in Maryland.