docmom, the variations of bluestem seem to be based mainly on the aesthetics of bluer foliage and secondly fall color. There are so many variations in nature but I believe they are selected from local genotypes displaying desirable qualities. 'Standing Ovation' is touted to be more upright in less than favorable conditions (richer soil) but 'Blue Heaven' is one that doesn't lodge either. The stems seem to be a bit thicker and stronger. As far as their value to wildlife is concerned I don't think it would matter on the type. Wholesale seed is sold with indications that some strains do better in certain areas than others. The value lies in the fact that grasslands as a whole are the foundation for life, they bind the earth, prevent water & wind erosion, are the base of the land food chain feeding all wildlife (including us) and they are shrinking. Wes Jackson's remark "The plow is deadlier than sword" is a quote often used to describe the situation we have created. Size really matters, some animals will die out simply because they cannot cross roads cut through a prairie and they require a certain size habitat for the species to survive. Unlike trees, the roots replenish the underground aquifers so that is another important feature. wiscon, I am no where near living in a desert, this is oil, wheat and cattle country. Our annual rainfall averages about 36" per year. We experience floods, droughts, blizzards, tornadoes, ice and hail. The weather is a real roller coaster ride here on the plains, we even brag about it.

You want to keep it dry around the plants. Don't mulch up close. Its a very cold hardy grass and here in Oklahoma it does fine planted now because the weather stays warm until November. It won't grow roots at all over winter, not until it warms up good next spring. We don't have soil heaving here so I don't know about that. If thats your situation or if its real soggy there, you might be better off leaving them in pots over winter in a protected dry spot where the soil will stay damp but not soaked. Root rot would be my biggest concern. I dug some out one year and couldn't decide if I was going to keep them or not, I left them unplanted stacked in a big pot with some soil still clinging to the roots and they wintered over just fine. The bottom ones in no light were putting out yellow growth by the time I got to them the next year. Just a couple of the very top ones placed in the pot with the roots exposed to dry air died, they were all just tossed in the pot every which way.

Big Bluestem is not a scourge in my book. BUT in this conversation , many things are called Bluestem and they are not even of the same family as each other. Big bluestem is Androgon gerardi which is different from Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). They are totally different from KR bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum var. songarica is in the same family as Silver bluestem )Botriochia laguroides ssp.torreyana and Botriochloa barbinodis. These grasses don't look a like and come from different continents. It is confusing because there are many many bluestem varieties within the various species. It gets mind boggling. I do a lot of walking around and looking in fields and gardens. TXranger is much better at grass IDing than me. God luck. Right now, I am trying to tell the difference in the field between Silver Bluestem and Cane Bluestem. They are both blooming and look similar in the pics online. I am trying to collect seed and want the cane bluestem. I do not want to be seeding non native purposely by accident . If you know what I mean. How do I tell them apart. I go to google and type in their names and pull up images. Ladybird Johnson wildflower center data base is a good place to go . So is Santa Rosa Garden Gardens has a bunch of bluestem.

A 3 gallon plant is a huge plant (or it should be!) and you should be able to get many small starts from it.