Panicum 'Prairie Fire'

Panicum 'Prairie Fire': Wine-Red Foliage, No Flowers Required

Most grasses wait for fall to change colour. 'Prairie Fire' goes wine red by early summer, like it started happy hour at lunch. THE PARTY STARTED WITHOUT YOU.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Panicum virgatum 'Prairie Fire'
• Common Name: Red Switch Grass
• Height: 120–150 cm (4–5 ft) in flower
• Spread: 75–90 cm (2.5–3 ft)
• Flowers: Airy, finely branched panicles with a pink tint, held upright above the leaves and lasting into winter
• Bloom Time: Late summer into fall (August to October)
• Foliage: Blue-green blades that turn deep wine red from early summer, then butter yellow in late fall
• Features: Long season of foliage colour

Where to Plant: Use it where you want colour from foliage, not just flowers. A group of three or five makes a strong red block in a sunny border or meadow planting, and it handles clay and sandy soils.

Companion Plants: Give 'Prairie Fire' a sunny, dry bed where its red blades sit behind white, raspberry and violet-blue. Delosperma 'Jewel of Desert Garnet' carpets the front at 10 to 15 cm with red-orange flowers from May to September. Salvia 'Bumblesnow' adds pure white spikes at 25 to 30 cm in June and July. Echinacea KISMET® 'Raspberry' brings raspberry coneflowers at 40 to 45 cm from June to October. Agastache 'Blue Fortune' adds violet-blue spikes at 60 to 90 cm from July to September.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun. The best red comes with lots of light. Average, well-drained soil is ideal, and rich soil isn't needed. Water through the first season, then only in long dry spells. Leave the clump standing over winter. Cut it 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. Divide in spring every few years if the centre opens up.

History: 'Prairie Fire' was bred by Gary Trucks of Amber Wave Gardens in Benton Harbor, Michigan. It came from a 2001 cross between 'Heavy Metal' and 'Rotstrahlbusch' and was selected the following year.

Final Thoughts: Red all summer, butter yellow to finish, deer resistant the whole way through. That's a season pass. GRAB ONE BEFORE IT SELLS OUT.