Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Apache Rose'

Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Apache Rose': A Tidy Column for Salty, Dry Edges

This switch grass grows strictly upright and dense, like a bouncer guarding the velvet rope. Rose-tinted plumes in late summer, rosy-red tips in fall. NOBODY GETS PAST THIS CLUMP.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Panicum virgatum 'Apache Rose'
• Common Name: Switch Grass
• Series: Prairie Winds®, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 120 cm (4 ft)
• Spread: 75 cm (2.5 ft)
• Flowers: Airy, rose-coloured panicles that age to tan
• Bloom Time: Late summer to fall (August to October)
• Foliage: Grey-green, strictly upright and dense; leaf tips turn rosy-red in fall
• Features: Salt tolerant, winter interest

Where to Plant: Its tidy, columnar shape fits where floppier grasses won't: narrow beds, along driveways, or as a vertical accent in a mixed border. Plant a row for a soft summer screen, mass it in a prairie-style planting, or grow it in a large container. It tolerates salt and dry soil, so it suits sidewalks and roads that get salted in winter.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Apache Rose' in a sunny, dry bed with orange ice plant, peach gaillardia and violet iris. Delosperma 'Jewel of Desert Topaz' carpets the front at 10 to 15 cm with yellow-orange flowers from May to September. Gaillardia 'Mesa Peach' adds peach daisies at 36 to 41 cm from June to September. Echinacea Sunny Days™ 'Lemon' brings double lemon-yellow coneflowers at 55 to 75 cm from July to October. Iris 'Rosalie Figge' opens violet bearded iris at 90 to 100 cm in June and July.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun. It handles a wide range of soils, including clay and poor soil, as long as it isn't waterlogged. Water through the first season, then it copes with dry spells on its own. Too much shade or rich soil can make it lean. Leave the foliage standing over winter for structure and snow-catching interest. Cut it back to about 10 cm (4 in) in early spring, before new growth starts. Switch grass is a warm-season grass, so it wakes up late in spring. Be patient. Divide in spring if the clump gets too big or the centre thins.

History: 'Apache Rose' was selected by Walters Gardens of Zeeland, Michigan, and introduced in the Prairie Winds® collection of switch grasses. Its species, Panicum virgatum, is native across much of North America, including the tallgrass prairie remnants of southern Ontario.

Final Thoughts: Salt, drought, deer and road spray? It's handled worse. Line the walkway and LET IT CHECK THE GUEST LIST.