PRESALE
Fall 2023 Shipping Schedule: 3/1/2024
Our national attention is turning to climate change. All the data say it's crunch time, and that plants are essential for building communities that can withstand these changes. A 2016 report from the EPA explored ways green infrastructure can improve community resiliency. Experts and stakeholders outlined strategies to help communities prepare for and mitigate the effects of climate change. Strategies included managing flood risk, reducing urban heat island effects, and decreasing the energy needed to manage water. Ornamental grasses and sedges can be part of the answer in all the case studies cited in the EPA report. Grasses and sedges anchor the plantings that help clean our water, reduce flooding, and lessen the effects of rising temperatures. Let's work towards a better environment.
About this Variety
Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ is a favorite switchgrass, well-loved for its dramatic, metallic blue foliage and for its strong upright habit that remains standing straight and tall. Pink-tinted, airy blooms appear in July, highlighting the color of its blue leaves. This blue switchgrass serves as a colorful backdrop to other grasses and perennials, looks stunning in masses, and provides a focal point when used as a specimen. A cultivar of native Panicum virgatum, it is an easy choice for meadows and naturalized areas as it not picky about soil and is very drought tolerant. Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ does best in full sun; refrain from over fertilizing. It is one of the oldest and most well-known blue cultivars of Panicum.
Highlights
- Metallic blue foliage
- Ships as a dormant young plant in a 3.35" nursery pot, in its sleeping beauty stage
- Dormant plants ship without leaves nor flowers as it's all about the roots
Exposure:
Full Sun
Blooms:
Mid Summer
Height:
Grows 4-5' tall
Spacing/Depth:
Plant 3-4' apart, set root ball even with ground level
USDA Zones:
Grow as Perennial in zones 4-9. Grow as Annual elsewhere.
Growing Instructions
Dig a hole two times the width of the Liner pot. Set top of root ball even with ground level. Combine planting mix and garden soil. Fill to ground level and tamp down firmly. Water to settle soil. Add layer of mulch to retain moisture and discourage weeds. Water regularly for the first year, then as needed once established. Feed with a quality fertilizer following application and frequency instructions, typically just before and during the growing season.
Care Tip
Overwintering: very hardy; do not overwater in winter; if left outside monitor water carefully.