Panicum virgatum

Switch Grass is a perennial, ornamental grass species that typically grows about 1.5 m in height. This plant may also be known by the common name Panic Grass. The leaves are blueish green, flat and erect, change yellow in the fall and tan coloured in the winter, and appear in basal clumps. The flowers are airy panicles with purplish pink tinges, appear on wide spreading spikelets off tall flower stems, and bloom between August and September. Switch Grass is easy to grow and is low maintenance. This plant spreads well and can form small colonies. The roots can be useful for controlling erosion and stabilizing shorelines. The seeds are also beneficial to wildlife species, like birds and small mammals.

Switch Grass grows best in moist to wet conditions with full or partial sun exposure. It grows well in a variety of soil types, including loam, sand, clay, and rock. It is tolerant of periodically flooded areas, dry areas, drought, steep slopes, salt, alkalinity, and air pollution. This grass can be naturally found prairies, open forests, roadsides, around marshes or swamps, and along river or lake shorelines.

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Scientific Name: Panicum virgatum
Type: Ground Cover
Height: 1.5 m
Spread: 2 m
Moisture Level: dry, moist, wet
Light Conditions: full sun, part sun
Soil Conditions: sand, clay, loam, rocky
Zone (Hardiness of Canada):