Panicum 'Northwind'
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Panicum 'Northwind': Ramrod-Straight and Storm-Proof
Wind tolerant, salt tolerant and stiff as a board. 'Northwind' takes a January gust the way your uncle takes a lecture about his driving. IT HEARD YOU. IT IS NOT MOVING.
Plant Characteristics:
- Botanical Name: Panicum virgatum 'Northwind'
- Common Name: Switch Grass
- Height: 150 cm (5 ft) in flower
- Spread: 90 cm (3 ft)
- Flowers: Narrow, open panicles held mostly in the centre of the clump, like a bouquet
- Bloom Time: Late summer into fall (August to October)
- Foliage: Stiff, upright blue-green blades that turn golden yellow in fall
- Features: Salt and wind tolerant, fall and winter interest
Where to Plant: Its columnar shape gives height without taking over, so it fits narrow beds, the back of a border or a row along a property line. It tolerates salt and the occasional flood, which makes it useful along roads, driveways and in rain gardens, and it grows in anything from sand to clay.
Companion Plants: Set Penstemon 'Dark Towers' in front of 'Northwind' for pink flowers on 85 to 90 cm stems from June to August. Verbena stricta adds slender lavender spikes from June to September. Gaillardia 'Mesa Peach' brings peach blanket flowers at 36 to 41 cm over the same long season. The upright grass gives this sunny trio a tidy vertical frame.
Plant Care: Plant in full sun. Light shade is fine, but in heavy shade it can flop. Average, well-drained soil suits it best, though it handles poor soil. Water through the first season, then mostly leave it be. Leave the clump standing for winter interest. Cut it back to about 10 cm (4 in) in early spring before new shoots appear. It's a warm-season grass and starts growing late, once the soil warms. Divide in spring every few years if the clump gets crowded or hollow in the middle.
History: 'Northwind' was selected by Roy Diblik of Northwind Perennial Farm in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, from switch grass, a major part of the North American tallgrass prairie. The Perennial Plant Association named it the Perennial Plant of the Year® for 2014.
Final Thoughts: Blue-green all summer, golden in fall and unfazed by road salt. Plant it by the curb and LET THE SNOWPLOW DO ITS WORST.
