PlantsGrasses & Sedges
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Chicago-region native. Suited to zone 6a.
Tall adaptable grass and screen
EasyGrasses & SedgesAlso Rain GardenRain garden
- Light
- Full sun
- Moisture
- Medium–moist
- Mature size
- 5–8 ft
- Spacing
- 3–5 ft
- Bloom or harvest
- Seedheads Aug–winter
- How it spreads
- Large clump / rhizomes
- What to buy
- Plug for small gardens; seed for larger matrices and restorations.
- When to plant
- Plugs: Apr–May or late Aug–Sep. Seed: dormant sow after the first hard frost or use the species-specific protocol.
In the design
Leave standing through winter; cut back in early spring.
