Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Totem Pole'

Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Totem Pole': Steel-Blue Column Built for Tight Spots

This switch grass grows in a strict, steel-blue column like it's applying for a job as a fence. Golden plumes on top, powdery blue stems below and ABSOLUTELY NO FLOPPING ALLOWED.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Panicum virgatum 'Totem Pole'
• Common Name: Switch Grass
• Series: Prairie Winds®, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 180 cm (6 ft)
• Spread: 75 cm (2.5 ft)
• Flowers: Golden yellow panicles that dry to tan and hold through winter
• Bloom Time: Late summer through fall (August to October)
• Foliage: Grey-green to steel-blue blades on powdery blue stems, in a strictly upright column
• Features: Salt and wind tolerant, erosion control, fall and winter interest

Where to Plant: Use it where you need height in a tight space: the back of a narrow bed, beside a garage, or in a row as a summer screen. A single plant makes an easy focal point. Its salt and wind tolerance means it can go along a driveway or road, and the upright stems stand up under snow.

Companion Plants: Use the narrow, upright 'Totem Pole' as a blue column in a sunny, dry bed with gold, red and steel blue. Dianthus Pretty Poppers® 'Electric Red' edges the front with red pinks at 20 to 25 cm from June to September. Coreopsis 'Baby Sun' adds golden daisies at 30 to 45 cm from June to September. Eryngium 'Big Blue' brings metallic steel-blue sea holly at 70 to 75 cm from June to August. Allium 'Gladiator' opens lilac-purple globes at 90 to 120 cm in May and June.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun. Light shade is fine, but heavy shade can make it flop. It grows in poor to fertile soil and handles dry or evenly moist conditions once settled. Water regularly through the first season. Leave it standing for winter. Cut it back to about 10 cm (4 in) in early spring, before new growth appears. Switch grass is a warm-season grass and starts late, so don't panic in May. Divide in spring every few years if the clump gets crowded.

History: Switch grass is native across North America east of the Rockies, from southern Canada to Mexico, and helped build the deep soils of the tallgrass prairie. 'Totem Pole' is part of the Prairie Winds® collection of switch grasses from Walters Gardens in Michigan.

Final Thoughts: Want privacy without a building permit? Plant a row. It handles wind, salt and erosion. THE NOSY NEIGHBOUR PROBLEM IS SOLVED.