Panicum: Switch Grass

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaPlant Health CareUncategorized
Written By Peter Morris

SWITCH GRASS !!!!!

Basics

 Panicum virgatum, commonly known as switch grass, is a perennial warm season clumping grass native to North America.  It is a prairie grass and grows from Canada to Mexico. Other common names include tall panic grass, black bent, tall prairie grass, thatch grass, and Virginia switch grass. 

late summer and the tops are turning red !

 It is used extensively in soil conservation. Particularly because of its deep root structure which hold the soil together. You can sometimes find it growing by roadsides – a testament to its toughness indeed!As an ornamental plant it is quite hardy and durable in the garden.  However, if grown in containers you may have to give it some protection over the winter. It quickly pops back up in the spring in full force.  Loves plenty of sun and tolerates windy spots too! Truly never gets any insects or disease either. 

In one of our gardens it is used as a privacy fence on a row of raised planters

Culinary Use

 Although we use only the ornamental varieties - it is related to proso millet - and quite edible ! 

proso millet seed heads are ready for harvest

Seeds are used in cookies, cakes and muffins, as a porridge or in a salad

Gardening Facts

 Grown as a drought-loving perennial it actually produces the best height in full sun. It seldom gets any insects or disease issues and is a fast grower.  Adapting well to windy spots it blooms late summer turning reddish by frost.  In December it dies back down to ground level  disappearing into the soil !It is an amazing ornamental grass! I just love seeing it swaying back and forth in the wind all summer long.  Then you get a splash of color in the Fall - What is not to love! 

For the best swaying back and forth grass ever -

Call Plant Specialists TODAY !

Don't delay – the sooner the better !

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 53 YEARS !

  Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBAAll photographs used with permission from @SHUTTERSTOCK 

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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