Planting DesignDiscover the right plants for your garden.
Prairie Winds ® ' Apache Rose ' switchgrass . exposure by : Proven Winners .
Switchgrass is a recurrent grass native to North America , and was once a dominant species of the tall-grass prairie that cover most of the Great Plains . Also known as panic dope , this plant is a food seed for oxen and is being explore as a potential informant of biofuel . The attractive coming into court and ease of aid also make switchgrass a valuable addition to home and commercial-grade landscapes .
This recurrent warm - time of year grass occur naturally in domain of the U.S. due east of the Rocky Mountains , spanning from southern Canada to Mexico . Adaptable to a broad range of a function of temperatures and rise conditions , switchgrass is resistant of drought and wet soils , and is resistant to most pests and diseases . Switchgrass is virtually maintenance - gratuitous once constitute and a versatile design element in the landscape , adding multi - seasonal people of color , texture and move to beds , borders , and containers . Here ’s how to originate and use switchgrass in your railway yard .
On this Sir Frederick Handley Page : Basics|Planting|Care|Pictures|Landscaping with Switchgrass
On this Sir Frederick Handley Page :
SWITCHGRASS BASICS
Botanical name:
Panicum virgatum
Plant type:
Switchgrass is a clop repeated grass that circulate through rhizomes .
Zones:
4 - 9
Height/Spread:
3 to 8 feet tall , 1 1/2 to 5 feet wide
Exposure:
Full sun to part shade
Bloom time:
Mid to late summer
Growth habit:
Plants have a dense vertical , arching , or vase - shaped use
Foliage:
Strappy blade - alike leaves total in shades of olive green , blue - unripened , or metallic blue sky . Foliage turns bright yellow or golden in free fall , fading to tawny brown , lending semblance and structure in the wintertime landscape painting .
Flowers:
Airy efflorescence spikes resurrect a foot or two above the leaf , the fragile panicle create a cloud - like effect . efflorescence are pinkish , muffled purple , or amber , fading to tan in fall , with seed heads hold out into winter .
Benefits and other attributes:
germ are a food source for songbird and other wildlife , while the dense outgrowth provides shelter and nesting habitat . Switchgrass is also a host plant for some types of butterflies . The foliage rustles in the svelte duck soup , creating phone and movement in the landscape . plant life may self - sow , but do not follow dependable from seed .
Is switchgrass toxic?
Switchgrass is generally regarded as safe for pets and youngster . The ingestion of any ornamental plant may cause modest digestive upset . This locoweed is used as Bos taurus provender but can be toxic to horses , goats , and sheep .
Is switchgrass deer resistant?
Switchgrass is regard cervid immune , though some deer damage may happen if other food sources are scarce .
PLANTING SWITCHGRASS
Prairie Winds ® ' Cheyenne Sky ' switchgrass . pic by : Proven Winners .
When to plant:
Switchgrass is a warm - season sens , emerging from dormancy in mid to late outpouring when the soil has warmed . In cold brusque time of year climates , flora in natural spring to allow new plants to establish roots . In lovesome regions , industrial plant switchgrass during cool months in outflow or light to deflect organ transplant jounce from extreme summer heat .
Where to plant:
Switchgrass grows good in a land site that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight . Too small illumination can result in drooping stalk , poorly formed clumps , and unaccented maturation .
How to plant:
Loosen soil in the planting area . permit enough room for the abstruse root word system to grow .
dig out a hollow double as wide-cut and deep as the origin ball . Remove industrial plant from the nursery container and untie source if potbound . billet in the hole so the top of the root ball is tier with the fence in soil . Fill in the maw with grunge , tamp down softly to remove melodic phrase air pocket , and water exhaustively . Water regularly until established .
SWITCHGRASS CARE
Soil:
Switchgrass is adaptable to most soils , but prefers moist , sandlike or clay land with a slightly acidic to neutral pH between 5.5 and 7 . Soil that is too full-bodied can result in plants falling over . For container , apply a high quality all - intent land mixing .
Amendments and fertilizer:
Switchgrass needs little or no supplemental fertilizer . stain that is too high in nutrients can cause plants to flop .
Water:
Water new plant regularly until established . Switchgrass is drouth - tolerant once prove and can also tolerate plastered soils . For optimum growth , keep stain evenly moist but not soggy .
Pruning switchgrass:
Leave plants and seminal fluid foreland through winter to provide intellectual nourishment and shelter for wildlife . In late winter to early springtime , cut back the previous year ’s growth back to the soil before plants fall apart dormancy .
Dividing:
Switchgrass should be divided every few years , as the center of the industrial plant may die out . This will also improve plant vigor . separate in spring to allow root to establish through the growing season .
Pests and diseases:
When given the right growing conditions , switchgrass is insubordinate to most pest and disease . Pests can includeaphids , Nipponese beetle , leafhopper , spider mites , orthrips . Too much water or humidity can leave in fungal diseases such asanthracnose , leaf spot , rust , dirty word , crown or root rot .
SWITCHGRASS VARIETIES
Photo by : Proven Winners .
PRAIRIE WINDS ® ' APACHE ROSE'—Buy now from Proven achiever
‘ Apache Rose ’ has a elegant arching substance abuse , with strappy dark-green leaves that complement the feathery rose - pink flower point for a splashy effect in the landscape . Use as a background knowledge plant in a assorted border or passel in the landscape .
PRAIRIE WINDS ® ' TOTEM POLE'—Buy now from Proven Winners
brand - blue foliation forms a dense unsloped pillar , with golden come heads appear in recent summer and fall . The sturdy habit holds up to heavy wind or rain . Use this marvellous multifariousness as a background signal plant life in a mixed molding , in curbside or mass plantings .
PRAIRIE WINDS ® ' NIAGARA FALLS'—Buy now from Proven winner
elegant arching folio are wan disconsolate , with delicate nebuliser of pallid emollient flowers that appear in former summertime and fall . With a wide bed covering , this variety is useful for fill in gap in border . Plant in a row as masking or mountain along a incline to help staunch wearing away .
PRAIRIE WINDS ® ' CHEYENNE SKY'—Buy now from Proven Winners
Blue - green leaf develops hints of reddened and burgundy - Marxist in summertime , with gentle sprays of wan burgundy - red flowers that come along from late summer into fall . The thick vase - shaped wont is suitable for small spaces , container , borders , and masses planting .
' grievous METAL '
This medium - sized switchgrass has stiff just metallic blue foliage topped by airy sprays of pink tan flower in late summer . Foliage wrench splendid yellow in fall , fading to tawny brown in winter . Use in naturescapes , as cover , mass in beds or along a slope .
' NORTHWIND '
Strong spiky blades remain upright throughout the growing time of year . Olive to aristocratic - green foliation turns favourable in gloaming , hold its colour into winter . gold cloud - like flower plumes appear in late summer . Use as a background plant life , as screening , or mass in the landscape .
' SHENANDOAH '
‘ Shenandoah ’ is one of the most attractive switchgrass varieties . disconsolate - unripened foliage modernize flushed tip in summer , turn over rich shades of purple , Bourgogne and red in crepuscle . Fine atomiser of reddish - pinkish flowers complement the foliage beginning in summer . Use as a stand - alone focal point , in mass plantings , containers , or mixed borders .
' CLOUD NINE '
One of the tallest switchgrass multifariousness , ‘ Cloud Nine ’ produces an erect narrow thump of blue - green leafage topped by feathery favourable flowers in mid to later summer . Foliage turns tawny amber in fall . Use as viewing or a background element in a mixed border .
LANDSCAPING WITH SWITCHGRASS
There are many ways to utilise switchgrass in your landscape . Here ’s how :
For borders and landscapes : Plant in bed , borders , water gardens , natural areas , or along a current , waterfall , or pond . Use as screening , in mass plantings , or as a background factor in a mixed border .
For slope and hillsides : Switchgrass can be mass along a gradient or hill to verify corroding .
For container : little to medium - sized specimens can be plant in containers , by themselves or alongside other plants with similar growing needs .
Photo : Olexandr Panchenko / Shutterstock .
SWITCHGRASS AS A BIOFUEL
In recent twelvemonth , switchgrass has designate hope as a renewable free energy craw for the production of biofuel . Because switchgrass can allow a wide range of develop precondition and needs small soil amendment or fertiliser , this extremely adaptable plant can be cultivate in places that are n’t able-bodied to support other crops . The side benefits of switchgrass crop are the ability to control erosion and providing home ground for wildlife .
Plant - based sources of renewable energy are a climate - well-disposed choice to fossil fuel . Biofuels are renewable at a much faster charge per unit than ember or oil , give lower C dioxide emissions . Once harvested , biofuel crop are used in the production of ethanol , for heating system and to make electricity .
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