This 'Northwind' cultivar was discovered by Roy Diblik growing along some Illinois railroad tracks around 1990. He and some partners opened a nursery in Burlington in southeast Wisconsin in 1992. This grass was named after the nursery. It does have a very upright form caused by thick, stiff stems and erect blades that point upward rather than bend down. The wide blades are olive green above and bluish-green below. It bears some airy grass flower clusters on the top of the plant that are green a long time and then turn yellowish. In fall the plant turns a tan-yellow. It is resistant to heavy snow bending plants down. Fast growing with an extensive fibrous root system. Warm season plant like the mother species and adaptable to conditions. Now one of the most commonly sold cultivars of Switchgrass.

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