Japanese name: スイッチグラス Scientific name:Panicum virgatum
[Overview]
A perennial 1–2 m tall.
The culms (stems) grow in clumps and stand upright, forming a cylindrical form.
The leaves are alternate and linear, 30–90 cm long.
The leaves turn yellow to orange in autumn and yellowish brown in winter.
The flower spikes are conical, up to 60 cm long, and look hazy from a distance.
The spikelets are usually tinged pink to purple and have stalks, and the outer glume of the second floret is glossy.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by division.
It grows well in any soil as long as the site is sunny and well drained.
Rainfall is sufficient for watering unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil dries out.
Too much fertilizer makes it leggy and prone to falling over, so go light on fertilizer; if a basal fertilizer is applied, nothing more is needed.
After the aboveground parts die back in winter, or when it becomes overgrown and untidy, cutting it back short to the base tidies its appearance.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
