Switch Grass, Panic Grass

Panicum virgatum

Switch Grass is a tall fast-growing ornamental grass native to the prairies of North America.  The stiff upright medium green foliage turns yellow in fall.   In mid-summer stems holding airy clusters of tiny pink flowers raise above the foliage like a cloud which turn brown in fall and persist through winter.  Prefers part sun and moist well-drained soils.  

MAINTENANCE NEEDS:  Low maintenance plant. Too much shade will lose its upright form.  Beetles and mites are occasional problems.  Root and crown rot may occur in poorly drained soils. Some susceptibility to rust.

LANDSCAPE USES: Accents or Group Plantings, Borders, Naturalized Areas, Woodland Garden, Wildlife Gardens, Bog Gardens, Rock Gardens, and Containers.

COMPANION PLANTS: Blanket Flower, Tickseed, Sedum

IMAGE: Jebulon, Panicum virgatum JdP, CC0 1.0

*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown.