Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' (Switchgrass)

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' is a tall cultivar of switchgrass, an upright, native perennial grass that can grow to 4-6 feet tall, and which is noted for the heavier blue-gray tinge of its spring and summer foliage. Foliage emerges in the early spring and grows quickly through the summer before producing fine, pink-tinted flowers in mid summer which contrast and add depth to the gray-blue of the natural foliage. Upright form persists through fall and winter, when it provides food and shelter for birds and small mammals.

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' tolerates a wide range of moisture and soil types, so long as the ground is well draining, and makes for showy, long-lasting dried flower arrangements.