FoliageSwitchgrass (Heavy Metal)
Panicum virgatum
Switchgrass (Heavy Metal) (Panicum virgatum) is a medium-growing perennial, hardy in USDA zones 5-9, that matures to about 3-6 ft × 2-3 ft. It does best in full sun and part shade with high water needs in moist, occasionally-dry and occasionally-wet soil. Expect yellow, pink and purple blooms in winter and summer. It attracts small mammals and songbirds, stands up well to black walnut, deer and drought, grows happily in containers.
- USDA zones
- 5-9
- Sun
- Full sun, Part shade
- Water
- High
- Mature size
- 3-6 ft × 2-3 ft
- Spacing
- 3 feet-6 feet
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Maintenance
- Low
- Soil
- Moist, Occasionally-dry, Occasionally-wet
- Foliage
- Blue, Green, Red
- Bloom color
- Yellow, Pink, Purple, Red
- Bloom season
- Winter, Summer
- Attracts
- Small mammals, Songbirds
- Tough against
- Black walnut, Deer, Drought, Dry soil, Erosion, Pollution, Salt, Wet soil
- Native to
- North America
In the landscape
Data sources
Freeze survival
Will it survive your winters?
Hardiness zones show a normal bad winter. We check the worst one — Switchgrass (Heavy Metal) is hardy to about -20°F (estimated from USDA zone 5), so we'll score it against the real coldest nights your area has actually had.
Powered by ~35 years of daily lows from the nearest NOAA weather station. A risk read, not a guarantee — a sheltered spot or mature plant beats the odds.
See the Switchgrass (Heavy Metal) in your own yard
Upload a photo and our AI designs with real plants like this one — matched to your USDA zone.
