Panicum virgatum
Switchgrass
Common names: Wand panicgrass
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 30 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Aug–Oct
- Hardiness
- Hardy
Photo: Warren Gretz, DOE/NREL · Public Domain · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Switchgrass is an upright prairie grass from North America that, with its airy, panicle-like inflorescences from August to October, adds structure and movement to any perennial bed. The narrow, blue-green leaves turn a bright yellow to copper-red in autumn and remain standing over winter as an attractive focal point. Growing 1 to 2 meters tall, switchgrass is well suited as a specimen plant or in loose groups at the edge of a bed.
Care instructions
Switchgrass prefers a sunny site and well-drained soil that is not too rich in nutrients; on heavy, waterlogged soils it tends to struggle. Water regularly only during the establishment phase, after which it copes well with natural rainfall and is exceptionally drought-tolerant. Cut back the dried stems close to the ground only in late winter, around late February to early March (calendar weeks 8 to 10), so that spring regrowth can begin undisturbed. Fertilizing is generally not necessary; too many nutrients tend to produce unstable stems that flop over. Every three to four years, the clump can be divided in spring when the center begins to thin.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringAug–Oct
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, sandy, lean, dry
Switchgrass likes it loose and free-draining, happily also sandy or gravelly. It does not feel at home on heavy, waterlogged soils, so a drainage layer of gravel or grit helps with a loamy subsoil. It tolerates nutrient-poor, dry sites surprisingly well, which also keeps its growth nicely upright.
Feeding
Light feeder
As an undemanding prairie grass, switchgrass needs hardly any feeding. A thin dose of compost in spring is entirely enough to support new growth. Too many nutrients tend to make the stems soft and floppy, so it is better to stay sparing.
Overwintering
The dead stems stay standing over winter and protect the heart of the plant from frost; they also look wonderful with hoar frost. Only in early spring, shortly before new growth, do you cut the whole clump back close to the ground. Switchgrass is fully hardy and needs no additional winter protection.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
- From seed
The most reliable method is to divide larger clumps in early spring with a sharp spade into strong pieces with roots of their own. Plant the new pieces straight away in their new position and keep them moist for the first few weeks until they have established. Sowing is also possible, but with this species it takes much longer to reach a presentable plant, and the cultivars do not always come true when grown from seed.
For your garden
Grow Switchgrass yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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