Grass, Switch, Heavy Metal

Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’

Easily grown in average, medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade.
Tolerates a wide range of soils, including dry ones, but prefers moist, sandy or clay soils.
Tolerates occasional flooding.
May flop in overly rich soils.
Generally performs best in full sun.
Will grow in part shade, but begins to lose its form in too much shade, growing more openly and possibly falling over.
Grows primarily in clumps, but will slowly spread by slightly creeping rhizomes.
Cut back clumps to the ground in late winter to early spring.
Plants may self-seed in optimum growing conditions but cultivars may not come true from seed.

‘Heavy Metal’ does not come true from seed and self-seeded plants may be best removed from a planting to preserve the uniformity of the foliage color.