Panicum amarum 'Dewey Blue'
(Bitter Switchgrass)
Family - Poaceae
Category - Grass
Origin - Discovered in Dewey, Delaware USA
Discovered By - Selected by Rick Darke
Season of Interest - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
Hardiness - H5
Height - up to 1.5m
Width - 60cm-90cm
Location - The Pond Garden
Description: A clump-forming Perennial grass with an upright, arching habit. The linear leaves are an attractive shade of blue-grey. Small, silvery white panicles are produced on tall stems in early autumn and are followed by attractive seedheads. Both the foliage and the flowers turn beige in autumn and remain attractive through the winter. This grass has been named for the town this particular variety was discovered, in Dewey Delaware, USA.
Panicum amarum is often used for sand dune stabilisation in the USA.
Additional common name - Coastal Switch Grass
Flower:
Small, silvery white flowers are produced in panicles in September to October. The flowers are followed by beige seedheads that remain attractive through the winter.
Flower colour: White
Flower shape: Small flowers in panicles
Flowering time: September, October
Foliage:
Blue-grey, linear leaves have an upright, arching habit. The leaves turn beige in autumn and persist through the winter. The foliage may lose the upright, fountain-like habit if grown in soil that is overly fertile.
Foliage Senescence: Deciduous
Foliage Shape: Linear
Propagation:
Cultivation:
Best in full sun to partial shade in well drained soil.
