Northwind Switch Grass

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A Tall and Sturdy Ornamental Grass with Year-Round Benefit 

Need some tall plants quickly? Check out our ‘Northwind’ Switch Grass.

Ornamental grasses are a great way to add color, depth, texture, and visual interest to your garden beds or yard. 

Our 'Northwind' grass is a cultivar of the native Panicum virgatum and, like its native parents, provides excellent habitat for wildlife during the fall and winter. 

Grass 'Northwind' is a tall, sturdy, and compact switchgrass that maintains its upright habit even after a few snow storms. 

This grass is a lovely olive or blue-green color in the summer and then changes to a golden brown in fall. Light and airy seed heads and yellow seeds top the compact and relatively rigid stems.

Its dense upright growth habit provides excellent wildlife habitat for small mammals and songbirds. They enjoy eating the seeds too. The stalks and flower heads can also be used in fresh or dried flower arrangements. 

'Northwind’ Panicum grass makes a focal accent when planted in a group or can make a great backdrop to your perennial bed. 

Mix it up with other prairie natives like coneflowers and Rudbeckia to create a natural habitat area. Use ‘Northwind’ switchgrass and other native perennials to create a pollinator urban oasis or as a screen to keep your patio or porch private and peaceful. 

'North Wind' switch grass can be grown in containers or in raised beds bordering your deck. Place this blue-green switch grass in the back of a large planter with smaller flowers in the front to make a stunning and colorful display.

This native grass cultivar won the Perennial Plant of the Year Award in 2014 from the Perennial Plant Association and the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Create a naturalized space in your yard with 'Northwind' switchgrass and listen to it whisper in the wind.

'Northwind' Grass Care Information

'Northwind' is hardy to USDA zones 4-9, making it a widely versatile option for most of the country. 

This tall switchgrass loves all sun and will grow in full sun to partial shade. In general, the more sun ‘Northwind’ can get, the happier it will be.

'Northwind' switchgrass will grow in pretty much any soil and is tolerant of road salt and salt spray. If planted in more fertile and moist sites, the grass will be less upright and more prone to flopping over than if planted in less productive, drier locations. 

Water deeply and regularly during the first growing season after transplanting. Once they are well-established, they should need little care. 

If planting in a container, use any good-quality potting mix and add some perlite to aid drainage and water retention. 

Northwind Switch Grass Height And Width

A compact and sturdy ornamental grass, 'Northwind' clumps will be 4-6 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. It will slowly spread by underground rhizomes. 

'Northwind' living in planters will be on the smaller end of that range unless the planter is large enough. 

'Northwind' grass stalks should be left up for wildlife and visual interest through the winter. Cut it back to about 3-4 inches tall in late winter or early spring before the new shoots are up. 

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