Panicum Virgatum Squaw Grasses
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Panicum virgatum Squaw (Switchgrass)
Native to Mid-West America, Panicum virgatum Squaw Grasses are beautifully striking architectural clump-forming plants with lush green, upright, linear, leaves that turn a gorgeous deep wine red at the tips in Autumn and are topped by elegant weeping panicles of tiny, burgundy-flushed flowers in late Summer into Autumn. As the year progresses both flowers and foliage darken to a golden bronze, making for beautiful ornamental displays in Autumn and providing cover for birds.
Perfect for cutting down maintenance in your garden and providing graceful height and interest. Panicum virgatum Squaw Grasses (Switchgrass) look wonderful at the back of a border, in a Mediterranean or prairie style garden, or as a feature in a large courtyard garden, and are incredibly striking in swathes along a sunny border adding gentle elegance to your planting schemes. They are also ideal for planting near ponds or streams. Alternatively, plant with other ornamental grasses, with Rudbeckia and Verbena for a natural look, or at the back of a border with Campanula, Nepeta and Lychnis planted in front and amongst them.
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For best results with Panicum virgatum Squaw grasses (Switchgrass), plant them in full sun though they will tolerate partial shade, in fertile, moist, but well drained soil, though they will tolerate drier soils once established. Cut back old growth close to ground level in late Winter or early Spring (use the cuttings on your border as a natural mulch!).
How to grow Panicum virgatum Squaw
Position: Full sun, partial shade
Foliage: Deciduous, perennial
Soil and site: Best in moist, fertile, well-drained soil
Flowering time: Late Summer to Autumn
Growth rate: Moderate/fast
Ultimate height and spread: Height to 150cm, spread to approximately 100cm
Hardiness: Hardy
Aftercare: Cut back old dead growth close to ground level in late Winter or early Spring.