Plant Encyclopedia

Group/Class:  Prairie Winds Collection

Brand:  Proven Winners

Description:

This sturdy selection forms a towering, strictly upright clump of striking steel blue foliage; golden seed heads in fall; perfect as a landscape accent, or along borders

Ornamental Features

Prairie Winds® Totem Pole Switch Grass features airy plumes of gold flowers rising above the foliage from late summer to late fall. Its attractive grassy leaves emerge grayish green in spring, turning steel blue in color. As an added bonus, the foliage turns gorgeous shades of tan and in the fall. The gold seed heads are carried on showy plumes displayed in abundance from late summer to late fall. The steel blue stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Landscape Attributes

Prairie Winds® Totem Pole Switch Grass is an herbaceous perennial grass with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cut back to the ground in late winter before active growth resumes. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Prairie Winds® Totem Pole Switch Grass is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Prairie Winds® Totem Pole Switch Grass will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 28 inches. It tends to be leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and should be underplanted with lower-growing perennials. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under typical garden conditions. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for alkaline soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.