Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind'

Switchgrass Poaceae

A Switch Grass with military bearing — upright, disciplined and seemingly incapable of flopping. ‘Northwind’ forms exceptionally strong, columnar clumps of broad, olive-green to steel-blue foliage, topped in late summer by clouds of fine, pinkish-green flower panicles which rise neatly above the leaves. As autumn advances, the foliage turns a rich golden yellow while the seedheads mature through bronze and burgundy, providing excellent structure well into winter. Selected by Roy Diblik from wild-collected Illinois seed, after he noticed one unusually upright seedling growing beside railway tracks near South Elgin in 1983, it was subsequently introduced through Northwind Perennial Farm. The resulting plant became one of the most influential modern Switch Grass selections — and was named Perennial Plant of the Year in 2014. Tough, long-lived and remarkably drought tolerant once established, it copes with a wide range of soils, from dry to intermittently wet, and is superb for prairie planting, gravel gardens and strong architectural groupings.

Cultivar origin: Selected by Roy Diblik, Northwind Perennial Farm, Wisconsin, from seed collected near South Elgin, Illinois; introduced in the early 1990s.
Flowering: August–October
Hardiness: H5, approximately −15 to −10°C
Height: 150–180 cm
Spread: 60–90 cm