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16245 S US Hwy 71
Belton, MO 64012
Tel: (816) 331-9738
Fax: (816) 331-9739

Panicum virgatum

Switch Grass

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Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass)

This is a warm season, mid-height grass that is clump-forming. In mid-summer, the foliage is topped with finely-textured, pink-tinged, branched flower heads that rise three feet above the foliage turning beige in the fall with the seed plumes persisting into winter. The leaves, which are medium green, turn yellow sometimes with orange tints in fall then fade to tan in winter. Plants provide cover for wildlife; birds feed on the seeds. It spreads both by rhizomes and seed.

Additional Information:


Height
3-6 Feet

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Spread
2-5 Feet

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USDA Hardiness Zone 5-9

Home Owner Growing and Maintenance Tips:

Good Companions
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya), Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

Characteristics & Attributes

Hydrologic Designation

FAC+

Nature Attracting

Songbird

Season of Interest

Late (July-frost)
Winter (Nov-Mar)

Soil Moisture

Average
Moderate

Sun Exposure

Full Sun

USFS MO Ecological Map

Wildlife Benefit

Food/Birds
Cover