Description

Common Name: switch grass

Type: Ornamental grass

Family: Poaceae

Zone: 4 to 9

Height: 4.00 to 6.00 feet

Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet

Bloom Time: August to February

Bloom Description: Dark red

Sun: Full sun to part shade

Water: Medium to wet

Maintenance: Low

Suggested Use: Naturalize, Rain Garden

Flower: Showy, Good Cut, Good Dried

Leaf: Colorful, Good Fall

Other: Winter Interest

Tolerate: Drought, Erosion, Dry Soil, Wet Soil, Black Walnut, Air Pollution

Garden locations

Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture soil in full sun. Prefers moist, sandy or clay soil, but tolerant of dry soil. Will grow in very light shade, but in part shade it begins to lose its columnar form, growing more openly, and may fall over. Tolerates windy locations. May self-seed. Cut back to the ground in the spring.

Noteworthy Characteristics
This ornamental switch grass grows straight up giving it a columnar appearance. Features narrow clumps of stiffly upright, powdery blue leaf blades which turn yellow in fall and eventually brown in late fall and continue through the winter. Finely-textured flower panicles open dark red in midsummer, forming an airy cloud above the foliage, and then turn beige in fall as they mature, lasting until mid-winter. Grows to 6′ tall. Very similar to P. virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ except taller and bluer. Good for fresh cut and dried flower arrangements.

Problems
No serious insect or disease problems.

Garden Uses
Very effective when massed or planted as a screen. Also a good specimen or accent plant. Blue summer color, yellow fall color and brown winter color provide excellent contrast almost year-round in the perennial border, meadow or wild garden.