Product Description
Panicum v. 'October Sky' PPAF CPBRAF - Proven Winners® PRAIRIE WINDS® Collection (30)ct Flat
Common Name: Switch Grass, Ornamental Grass
Panicum virgatum 'October Sky' is an outstanding mid-sized native ornamental grass, celebrated for its brilliant display of rosy-purple seedheads that truly come alive in the fall. These seedheads boast a more intense purple coloration compared to 'Apache Rose', which exhibits more rosy-red hues during bloom. 'October Sky' also presents a more substantial presence in the landscape, standing approximately a foot taller than 'Apache Rose'. The overall plant maintains an elegant, upright, and columnar shape, characterized by attractive blue-green leaves. A key advantage of 'October Sky' over other popular cultivars like 'Northwind' is its superior sturdiness, making it less prone to flopping open or collapsing later in the season, even under challenging conditions.
Switch grass, a member of the PRAIRIE WINDS® Collection by Walters Gardens, Inc., derives its common name from the peaceful swishing sound its foliage makes when gently swaying in the wind. This incredibly sturdy grass maintains its architectural form throughout the winter months, remaining upright unless subjected to exceptionally heavy snowfalls. This persistent structure provides vital cover for birds during the coldest days, contributing to wildlife habitat. From a design perspective, 'October Sky' is exceptionally versatile, effective as a standalone specimen, in mass plantings for dramatic effect, for creating natural screens, enhancing water features, or even as a striking element in large containers.
- Height: Reaches a mature height of 4.5 to 5.0 feet (1.37 - 1.52 meters).
- Spread: Forms a clump with a spread of 2.0 to 2.5 feet (0.61 - 0.76 meters).
- Foliage: Features attractive blue-green leaves, held on an elegant, upright, and sturdy habit.
- Flower/Seedheads: Produces brilliant rosy-purple seedheads that emerge in Late Summer and continue to provide a fantastic display into Early Fall.
- Seasonal Interest: Offers significant Fall Color from its striking seedheads.
- Flower Color: Purple shades
- Foliage Color: Green shades, Blue shades
- Bloomtime: Late Summer, Early Fall
- Growth Rate: Medium
- Critter Resistant: Deer Resistant
- Seasonal Interest: Fall Color
- Other Features: Border Plant, Cut Foliage, Drought Tolerant, Easy to Grow, Erosion Control, Attractive Foliage, Mass Planting, Focal Point.
Panicum virgatum 'October Sky' is a testament to careful breeding, combining aesthetic appeal with exceptional durability. Its robust, upright habit and captivating rosy-purple seedheads make it a superior choice for gardeners seeking a reliable and impactful ornamental grass. As a native grass, it is well-adapted to various environmental conditions and plays an important ecological role. Its inclusion in the PRAIRIE WINDS® Collection highlights its proven performance, particularly its ability to thrive in full sun and its inherent deer resistance.
Panicum virgatum, commonly known as Switch Grass, is a widespread native grass to North America, found across a vast range of habitats from prairies and open woodlands to savannas and wetlands. Its natural adaptability to diverse soil conditions, including dry to periodically wet areas, reflects its resilience and ease of cultivation.
Landscaping Design Tips
Panicum virgatum 'October Sky' is an incredibly versatile and impactful ornamental grass, lending grace, texture, and movement to various garden styles.
- Mass Planting: For a dramatic and naturalistic effect, mass planting 'October Sky' is highly recommended. Large sweeps or drifts of this grass create a stunning textural backdrop, provide excellent screening, and offer a sea of movement with the slightest breeze. This is particularly effective in prairie-style gardens, large borders, or along property lines for a living fence.
- Specimen or Focal Point: Its elegant upright shape and brilliant fall seedheads allow it to stand alone as a specimen plant, drawing the eye and providing a strong vertical accent in a mixed border.
- Rain Gardens: As a native grass that tolerates periodic flooding, 'October Sky' is an excellent choice for rain gardens, contributing to stormwater management while adding beauty.
- Along Ponds or Streams: Its natural habitat often includes moist areas, making it well-suited for planting alongside water features where it can provide a soft, naturalistic edge.
- Screening: Plant in a linear fashion to create effective seasonal screens for privacy or to subtly define garden rooms. Its sturdy upright habit ensures a reliable screen through the growing season and into winter.
- Containers: While large, it can be grown in substantial containers to add height, texture, and movement to patios or decks, especially in colder zones where permanent ground planting might be challenging.
- Winter Interest: Leave the sturdy culms and seedheads standing through winter for continued architectural interest and to provide essential cover for birds.
- Erosion Control: Its extensive root system makes it an excellent plant for erosion control on slopes or disturbed areas.
- Seaside and Roadside Plantings: Its proven wind and salt tolerance make it a robust choice for coastal gardens or areas adjacent to roads that are salted during winter.
- Garden Styles: Integrates beautifully into Eclectic gardens and is an essential component of Prairie and naturalistic planting designs.
Panicum virgatum 'October Sky' is exceptionally cold-hardy, thriving across USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 9. This broad hardiness range makes it a reliable and resilient choice for a vast majority of temperate climates.
Planting and Cultivation
- Sunlight: Thrives in Full Sun (more than 6 hours of direct sun per day) for optimal growth, sturdiness, and best seedhead color. While it will tolerate light shade, too much shade will cause the plant to flop over.
- Soil Requirements: Extremely adaptable and will grow in virtually any soil type, from sandy to clay. It tolerates Average Soil Quality to Fertile Soil Quality. It is adaptable to both Acidic Soil (pH < 7.0) and Neutral Soil (pH = 7.0) chemistry. The most critical factor is drainage; while it tolerates periodic flooding, well-drained soil is generally preferred.
- Water Requirements: Has Low Water Needs to Average Water Needs once established. It is remarkably drought-tolerant, making it a sustainable choice for water-wise landscapes. Water regularly during the first growing season to ensure proper establishment.
- Maintenance: Very easy to grow and suitable for beginners.
- Cutting Back: Cut back the previous year's foliage in late winter or early spring before new growth begins to emerge. This helps maintain a tidy appearance and encourages fresh new growth.
- Division: Division is rarely necessary for this long-lived grass, but if clumps become too large or lose vigor after many years, they can be divided in spring.
- Pest and Disease: Generally disease-free and deer resistant, making it a very low-maintenance plant.
Thirty (30) plants per flat (or tray). Approximate Plug Measurements: 4.25-inch deep x 2-inch wide.
Other Details
The most important part of the plant is its root system. Healthy roots are the foundation of a healthy, vibrant plant. The type of plug container used is based on the specific needs of the plants. Perennials offered as bare root traditionally perform better when planted as bare root.Planted in a specialized mix, potted plants have well established root systems. Top growth stage will vary depending on the current life cycle and time of year when shipped. In Winter and early Spring dormant plants may be shipped. Dormant plants may be planted right away, even before the last frost date.
Most bare root varieties are field grown for at least one season, though Hemerocallis and Hosta are grown for two seasons. The bulk of the soil is removed during the harvesting process and the tops of most varieties are trimmed back to the crown. They are graded, packed in shredded aspen or sphagnum moss and stored in freezers until ready to be shipped.
See our Container Sizes and Bare Root Perennials pages for more information.
Plant information and care is provided in the Overview section, Plant Genus Page and general information is provided in the Planting Care & Guides. Additional questions can be asked on each Plant page.
Plant Spacing: Using the maximum mature spread or width of a plant to guide spacing, ensures space to grow to full size. To fill an area sooner, plant them closer together. Just remember, future thinning or transplanting may be needed.
Water: Keep a close eye on newly planted perennials, especially throughout the first growing year. Most early plant loss is due to too much or too little water!
