Cloud Nine Switchgrass

‘Cloud Nine’ Tall Switchgrass is the winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. It is the tallest switchgrass cultivar available, but it maintains a compact footprint, spreading slowly by rhizomes to form a dense clump up to 3 feet in diameter. Switchgrass is an important component of the tall grass prairie ecosystem, found in prairies and open woodlands throughout most of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. Switchgrass is a host plant for many species of butterflies, including the Hobomok Skipper, Delaware Skipper, Leonard’s Skipper, and Northern Broken-Dash. Switchgrass is a long-lived warm-season grass that performs best in full sun and average to moist soil with good drainage, including sandy soil. With deep, dense roots, Switchgrass can prevent erosion and tolerate a wide range of soils, including clay; plants are drought resistant and can tolerate dry soils; plants can also tolerate occasional flooding, making it a good candidate for rain gardens, bioswales, and other wet areas of the landscape. Switchgrass can also tolerate salt spray and planting near Black Walnut trees. A versatile grass for mass planting, privacy screening, stabilizing soil, habitat gardening, and the back of perennial borders. Cut back in early spring once new growth has started to emerge, and it can be divided in spring.