The filigree switchgrass is a popular structural plant that inspires garden owners to come up with creative design ideas. The obvious question is whether the ornamental grass will survive the cold season unscathed. Read here about the winter hardiness of Panicum virgatum. This is how you accompany the long-lasting, easy-care sweet grass through the winter.

Switchgrass has a very good winter hardiness

Location quality determines the degree of winter hardiness - what to look out for

Botanically, switchgrass is assigned to winter hardiness zone Z5. This range covers temperatures from - 23.4 to - 28.8 degrees Celsius. Of course, this robust frost hardness only applies to the ideal location. If you give the ornamental grass a sunny, warm and sheltered place, everything is fine. In heavy, loamy and permanently moist soil, the plant loses a great deal of its winter hardiness.

This is how switchgrass gets through the winter safely

It is less severe frost that affects switchgrass than permanent winter wetness. With these simple measures you can ensure that your ornamental grass retains its vitality during the cold season:

  • Do not cut back switchgrass in the fall
  • Instead, tie the ornamental grass together loosely with a rope to form a tuft
  • Lay brushwood or fir fronds on the root disk to catch snow and rain

Only cut back the grass close to the ground in February or March. The measure should be carried out in good time before fresh sprouting so that the fresh green tips of the stalks are not affected. With your gloved hand, gather the grass into tufts and shorten them to a hand's breadth above the ground.

Potted plants get a winter coat

If switchgrass thrives in a bucket, the root ball is not as well protected from the freezing cold as it is deep in the ground. Therefore, place the container on a block of wood and wrap it in several layers of jute, fleece or bubble wrap. The substrate is covered with autumn leaves, peat dust or sawdust. Unless the location is under an eaves or similar rain shelter, switchgrass should also be tied together in the pot.

tips

A switchgrass' ornamental value is maximized when it has late-blooming perennials at its feet. Socialize the ornamental grass with autumn asters, phlox or magnificent trees, draw romantic garden pictures. In the vicinity of autumn-flowering sedum or maiden's eye, the golden-yellow to reddish-brown coloring of the culms comes into its own.

Category:

Vegetable garden