Panicum virgatum 'Prairie Sky'
switch grass
This grass dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring.
- Position: full sun
- Soil: moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil
- Rate of Growth: average
- Flowering period: August and September
- Hardiness: fully hardy
A great, back of border, architectural grass from the prairies of North America. Blue-green foliage topped with drooping, hazy, bluish-tinted flowers appear in early autumn and turns a blaze of orange-yellow as the season comes to an end. Leaving the seedheads on during winter will add interest as the delicate spikelets shiver and shimmer in the frosted breeze. - Garden care: Cut back in early spring when it starts to look tatty, and lift and divide congested clumps between mid-spring and summer.