Switch Grass

Switch Grass

Panicum virgatum

A native warm-season prairie grass with upright dense clumping habit and reddish-pink panicles that provide reliable multi-season presence in mass plantings.

  • Forms an upright, dense clump of medium-green foliage
  • Flat leaf blades, 30 cm long, branch from upright stems
  • Airy panicles rising above the foliage are reddish-pink changing to tan in the fall
  • Leaves turn yellow to red in autumn and tan through the winter
Size
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Plant Characteristics

Sunlight
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Moisture
Average, Dry, Moist, Well-drained
Drought Tolerant
✓
Hardiness Zone
3 – 3
Mature Height (meters)
1.2 – 2.0
Mature Spread (meters)
0.75 – 1.0
Growth Rate
Medium
Foliage Colour
Green
Fall Colour
Yellow
Bloom Time
Summer
Habit
Upright
Deer Resistant
✓
Rabbit Resistant
✓
Pollinator Friendly
✓
Attracts Birds
✓
Ontario Native
✓
Landscape Uses
Accent, Border, Groundcover, Mass planting, Rain garden, Screening
Growing & Maintenance Tips
Grows best in a moist soil, in full sun, is tolerant of a dry soil in partial shade and can be used for slope stabilization. It should be pruned back to 10 cm above ground level in early spring.
Notes
Also referred to as Panic Grass, Panic Grasses, Switchgrass, Tall Panic Grass, Thatchgrass, Wild Redtop. Native to Ontario Warm Season Grasses:These grasses are much slower starting in the spring. They do not push new growth until temperatures warm in early to midsummer. They flower later in the summer or fall with most blooms remaining into the winter. Most warm season grasses tolerate heat, humidity and drought; some even thrive in these conditions. Conversely, extra care should be taken when planting in early spring or late fall.

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