Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Cheyenne Sky'

Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Cheyenne Sky': Wine-Red Switch Grass in a Small Package

Blue-green in spring, then wine red by summer, until nearly the whole clump looks like it spilled a glass of merlot on itself. This compact switch grass WEARS THE STAIN PROUDLY.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Panicum virgatum 'Cheyenne Sky'
• Common Name: Red Switch Grass
• Series: Prairie Winds®, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 90 cm (3 ft) in bloom, about 60 cm (2 ft) in foliage
• Spread: 45 cm (18 in)
• Flowers: Airy, wine-red panicles held just above the leaves
• Bloom Time: Late summer into fall (August to October)
• Foliage: Blue-green blades that turn wine red from early summer, with nearly the whole clump coloured by late summer
• Features: Salt tolerant, fall and winter interest

Where to Plant: Its narrow, upright shape fits tight spots where bigger grasses won't: along a walk, in a sunny border or in a large container. Plant it in groups for a ribbon of red. It's salt tolerant and handles clay and sandy soil, so it's a good choice near driveways and roads.

Companion Plants: Give 'Cheyenne Sky' a sunny, dry bed where its wine-red blades sit behind white, rose and gold. Armeria Dreameria® 'Dream Clouds' edges the front with white globes at 25 to 30 cm from May to September. Coreopsis 'Early Sunrise' adds semi-double golden daisies at 45 cm from June to August. Centaurea dealbata brings rosy-pink cornflowers at 45 to 75 cm in June and July. Alcea 'Blacknight' rises at the back to 150 to 180 cm with black-purple hollyhocks.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil. It grows in poor or fertile soil and tolerates both dry and moist conditions once settled in. Water through the first season while roots develop. Leave the foliage and seed heads up for winter interest. Cut the clump back to about 10 cm (4 in) in early spring, before new growth starts. Switch grass is a warm-season grass and is slow to wake up, so be patient in spring. Divide in spring every few years if the centre dies out.

History: Switch grass is a key grass of the North American tallgrass prairie, native east of the Rockies including southern Ontario. 'Cheyenne Sky' is part of the Prairie Winds® collection from Walters Gardens, won Favourite Perennial/Grass at the 2008 Farwest Show and was named a top performer in the Chicago Botanic Garden's plant evaluation in 2018.

Final Thoughts: Small enough for a pot, tough enough for road salt and ignored by deer. Pour three into the front bed. RED WINE BY FALL.