Switchgrass

I cut the switchgrass down this afternoon and I already miss them.

I can hardly bear to cut those beautiful tawny golden blades down to stubs and put it off until the very last minute.  I really didn't want to, they still look so pretty, but if you wait too long you can't clip them with your hedge clippers without running the risk of cutting off the new shoots. Lucky me, there were no green shoots showing and I could chop away!

Panicum is a stellar grass for winter interest and I've never understood why gardeners cut it down in the fall. It fills the garden with movement and beauty all year long and the standing grass  provides food and shelter for visiting mammals, birds and insects.

Panicum virgatum 'North Wind'

I've heard gardeners complain that grasses are floppy and messy by mid winter. If that's the case, they might want to add Panicum virgatum 'Northwind' to their gardens. It is without a doubt the most upright grass I’ve ever encountered. Strong winds, heavy rains and even snow have not made it flop over.

It dances all winter in the wind...

Me, I don't mind floppy grasses. In fact, I appreciate how they have softened the sharp corner of my house along the path to the porch. I can't recall if this graceful beauty is a cultivar or the species, but I love it. 

'Northwind' backlit and glowing

It's rather ironic that it took European plant breeders to open our eyes to the versatility and beauty of Panicum virgatum. It has a long history on this continent. It's native to the tall grass prairies of the Great Plains from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean and it can still be found growing in ‘remnant prairies’ and along interstates.

You could certainly say that it has a lot going for it-graceful form, long seasonal color, deer resistance, hardiness, drought tolerance and adaptability.

Thank goodness it won't be long before they start greening up! I do miss them waving at me as I walk the garden!

xoxogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.