Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass) is an ornamental, North American grass that grows between 3 to 6 feet tall, depending on which variety is planted. The variety used in the Veteran Memorials Circle (VMC) Native Plant Garden is called ‘Northwind’. This variety grows to about about 4-5 feet tall with a vase-shaped habit of full, upright blue-green foliage with pinkish panicles that emerge at the end of summer. The foliage turns a bright yellow in the fall and becomes beige in the winter. It typically retains its upright habit throughout the seasons and brings architectural structure to the garden landscape.

These stunning plants can be used as accent plants, hedgerow or screen plants since their height and texture provide privacy all-year round. Wherever this grass is planted it makes a striking statement and attracts birds that it provides shelter for.

This versatile grass can be grown in full-sun spots in the garden and in hard-to-grow areas such as roadsides where salt and pollution are a problem. Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass) is a drought-tolerant perennial that can live in a wide-range of soils and can even be grow in wet areas as well as dry.