Panicum virgatumSwitch Grass

One of the four dominant grasses of the North American tallgrass prairie, Panicum virgatum forms a strictly upright clump of narrow blue-green blades that turns yellow and russet through autumn and holds its shape right through winter.

Above the foliage sit airy panicles, pink-tinged when fresh and buff by winter, that catch light and move in the slightest wind. It is one of the few ornamental grasses equally at home on dry sand and on seasonally wet clay.

Specifications

• Height1.0 to 2.0 metres in flower
• Width0.6 to 1.0 metres
• Native toThe prairies and plains of North America
• FoliageNarrow upright blue-green to green blades turning yellow and russet in autumn; deciduous, with the dry stems persisting through winter
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilTolerates an exceptionally wide range from dry sand to seasonally wet clay
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established and also tolerant of periodic inundation
• ClimateThrives across temperate, continental and warm climates

Additional Features

• FlowersAiry pink-tinged panicles in late summer, fading to buff and persisting through winter
• UsesOrnamental grass massing, naturalistic and prairie planting, swales and detention basins, slope planting
• SpacingPlant 0.6 to 0.8 metres apart for a continuous drift
• Low MaintenanceCut to the ground in late winter before new growth begins; nothing else is required
• Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble-free
• Drought ToleranceDeep fibrous roots carry it through extended dry periods
• Erosion ControlThe root mass is used specifically for bank and swale stabilisation
• Wildlife AttractionProvides cover and seed for birds through autumn and winter

Switch Grass is the structural prairie grass for naturalistic massing, swales and slopes across a very wide climate range.