Plant Profile: Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal'

Names

Heavy Metal Blue Switch Grass

  • Photo of Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' (Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal's)

Phonetic Spelling:PAN-ih-kum ver-GAY-tum HEH-vee MEH-tal

Genus:Panicum

Species:virgatum

Family:Poaceae

This plant features striking metallic blue leaves that display vibrant colors in the fall and rarely droop. It is also tolerant of salt and shows strong resistance to deer browsing.

Growth Habit: Upright

 

For additional details on Panicum virgatum, please refer to further resources.

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' Feature Summary

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' Image Gallery

Tags

#fall color
#blue
#resistant
#fall interest
#deer resistant

Similar Plants

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' is often confused with:

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' Feature Summary

Flowers
Pink tones in inflorescence
Good Cut
Showy
Long-lasting
Good Dried
Summer
Fall
Winter
Whole Plant Traits
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Good Drainage
4a
4b
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
9a
9b
Fruit
Caryopsis
Leaves
Landscape
Rain Garden
Border
Mass Planting
Drought
Deer
Pollution
Wet Soil
Dry Soil
Erosion
Black Walnut
Container
Meadow
Butterflies
Songbirds

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' Attributes

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Country Or Region Of Origin

North America

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Recommended Propagation Strategy

Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' Flowers

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Flower Description

Pink tones in inflorescence

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Flower Color

filter_vintage
Pink

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Flower Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' Whole Plant Traits

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Maintenance

Low
Medium
High

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' Cultural Conditions

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
4a
thermostat
4b
thermostat
5a
thermostat
5b
thermostat
6a
thermostat
6b
thermostat
7a
thermostat
7b
thermostat
8a
thermostat
8b
thermostat
9a
thermostat
9b

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Soil Texture

Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' Fruit

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Fruit Type

Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' Leaves

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Leaf Color

spa
Blue
spa
Gray/Silver

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Hairs Present

No
Yes

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Leaf Feel

Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' Stem

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' Landscape

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Design Feature

Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal': Attracts

Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees