Switchgrass is a tall, warm-season grass and important prairie grass that thrives in full sun. Its wispy seed heads give texture and lightness to the garden.
Switchgrass grows well in moist clay or moist, sandy soils, tending to grow more slowly and upright in drier soils.
It's a large grass and needs room to spread. Try it in a native landscape or rain garden and as a hedge or border.
Look for bluish-green summer hues and orange-purple fall color. Chances are you'll find bees using the grass for nesting, and it is a larval host to Leonard's Skipper. Small mammals seek it out as a winter food source.
Fun fact: Switchgrass is being looked as a source for biomass/bioenergy (Andy Pulte, University of Tennessee video).
