Switchgrass, Shenadoah

Switchgrass ‘Shenandoah’ (Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah')

‘Shenandoah’ is a compact, red-tinged cultivar of the native warm-season grass Panicum virgatum, prized for its ornamental beauty, wildlife value, and versatility in regenerative landscapes. With upright foliage that emerges green and turns deep burgundy by summer, this variety adds dramatic color and texture to meadows, rain gardens, and permaculture systems. Its fine-textured seed heads feed birds in fall and winter, and its deep root system improves soil structure and prevents erosion.

Key Characteristics

• Provides Seed and Shelter for Birds
  In late summer and fall, ‘Shenandoah’ produces airy, reddish-purple seed heads that persist into winter, offering food for songbirds such as sparrows and finches. The dense foliage also creates winter cover for small wildlife.
• Exceptional Erosion Control and Soil Building
  With a deep, fibrous root system that can extend over 10 feet underground, Switchgrass improves soil structure, increases organic matter, and reduces erosion. It’s particularly valuable on slopes, streambanks, and degraded soils.
• Striking Ornamental Foliage for Garden Design
  'Shenandoah' is known for its rich burgundy foliage that begins coloring early in the season—often by June—and intensifies through fall. This makes it a show-stopping choice for garden borders, mass plantings, or as a specimen in native ornamental designs.
• Resilient and Adaptable Across Conditions
  Tolerant of drought once established, as well as periodic flooding, ‘Shenandoah’ thrives in a wide range of soils from medium-dry to medium-wet. It’s a tough, low-maintenance plant perfect for rain gardens, silvopasture systems, and agroecological plantings.

Product Details

• Native range: Eastern and central North America
• Plant life cycle: Perennial warm-season bunchgrass
• Sun requirements: Full sun
• Soil requirements: Medium-dry to medium-wet, tolerant of poor soils
• Mature height: 3–4 feet (up to 5 feet with flower spikes)
• Bloom time: July–September
• Bloom color: Reddish-purple airy panicles
• USDA Hardiness zones: 4–9

‘Shenandoah’ Switchgrass brings form, function, and food to any ecological planting. From feeding birds to stabilizing soils and beautifying borders, this cultivar earns its place in gardens, meadows, and permaculture systems alike.