This delicate grass adds texture and movement to the herbaceous beds in the Autumn Garden.
Panicum virgatum ‘Squaw’ is a rhizomatous perennial grass grown for its ornamental value. The erect leaves grow to 50cm tall, and as autumn progresses these take on yellow and red hues. From late summer it produces erect to arching stems of delicate panicles of purple-tinted, tiny flowers, or spikelets, and these produce a haze of airy flower heads throughout autumn. ‘Squaw’ is a selection of P. virgatum, originating from a German nursery in the 1990’s. It is one of several widely grown forms of the North American switch grass P. virgatum, which occurs in prairies and meadows. It requires moderately fertile soil and full sun.