Niagara Falls Switch Grass
Panicum virgatum ‘Niagara Falls’
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 4a-9b Find Your Zone
Plant Type: Ornamental Grass
Height at Maturity: 4′
Width at Maturity: 4′
Spacing: 3.5′ for mass plantings, 7’+ for space between plants
Spacing: 3.5′ for mass plantings, 7’+ for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form: Upright Arching Clump
Growth Rate: Moderate to Fast
Flower Color: Cream
Flower Size: Small
Flowering Period: Mid-Summer through Winter
Flower Type: Seedheads for airy cloud
Fragrant Flowers: No
Foliage Color: Blue-Grey
Fragrant Foliage: No
Berries: No
Berry Color: na
Sun Needs: Full to Mostly Sun
Water Needs: Average
Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sandy, Silty
Soil Moisture / Drainage: Moist to wet, tolerates dry periods when established
Soil pH: 6.0 – 8.0
Maintenance / Care: Very Low
Attracts: Visual Attention, Birds
Resistances: Cold Temperatures (-30F), Deer – more info, Disease, Drought (when established), Heat, Humidity, Insect, Rabbits
Description
An exceptionally pretty Switch Grass with a graceful look, ‘Niagara Falls’ was named for its arching foliage that weeps to the ground more like a maiden or pampas grass. A robust and wider grower than other switch grasses, Niagara Falls forms an impressive, dense clump of blue-grey foliage to a height of around 4 feet tall and equally as wide that is topped with cream color, cloud-like plumes from late summer persisting through fall and well into winter. The flowers are excellent for use in fresh or dried flower arrangements, and quail and songbirds gobble up the tiny seeds while using the sturdy foliage clumps as a cold weather shelter. One of our favorites of the more recent Switch Grass introductions, and and native that is very easy to grow!
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing to 4 feet tall and equally as wide, Niagara Falls Switch Grass is ideal for use as a specimen in smaller garden beds, or in groupings or as a hedge in larger landscape borders. Also effective as a background or centerpiece in perennial borders, bird and wildlife gardens, native plant gardens, prairies, meadows or naturalized areas. Because it tolerates a dry soil, it’s also an excellent choice for xeriscaping (low water needs).
Spacing: 3 feet apart for mass plantings; 7 feet or more apart for space between plants
Growing Preferences
North American native Switch Grasses are very easy to grow in a wide range of soil, even clay, sandy and dry soils, though they prefer the soil to be moist. They don’t like an organically rich soil so there’s no need to add compost or humus to the native soil when planting. Switch Grass grow best in full sun but will tolerate some light shade. That said, too much shade and plants might become floppy. Maintenance is minimal. Cut clumps back to the ground in late winter before new growth begins to emerge.
Helpful Articles
Click on a link below to get helpful advice from our experts on how to plant, fertilize, prune and water Switch Grasses.
How To Plant And Care For Switch Grass Plants
How To Measure for Total Square Feet
How Many Plants to Fill a Planting Area
Plant Long & Prosper!
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