'Shenandoah' is oftentimes the most common cultivar of Common Switchgrass. The tips or ends of the bluish blades are red. The blades at times can turn red most of their length during cooler weather as one of my plants did in 2012. The grass flowers have a burgundy color. It is very similar to the cultivar of 'Rotstrahlbusch' that is a German name that should mean red twig bush. 'Shenandoah' is supposed to be a little taller, cascades some, has slightly wider blades, gets its red color a little later in the growing season, and turns more burgundy in the autumn than the older cultivar of 'Rotstrahlbusch' (also known as 'Red Ray) that is supposed to be smaller, more upright, with narrower blades, and turning more true red in autumn. Another very similar cultivar is 'Haense Herms' that tends to cascade more (less upright) and the flowers are more silver-pink though I have not seen this last cultivar. A large number of conventional nurseries and garden centers sell 'Shenandoah'. The two cultivars are probably often mixed up in the nursery trade. Like the mother species, it has a soft, fine texture and stays upright well. It is a clump grass that slowly spreads wider. It is easy to transplant and to divide. It is best to divide it in the spring (May) when the foliage is about 12 inches high. It looks good all winter long, turning a straw color. Cut down in early spring. It is a warm season grass and does not grow until May. I like to set fire to the low cut crown a few inches high after I cut the tall perennial grass down in early spring; it likes the burn like other native prairie grasses. I remember the older plants getting to become about 5 feet high.

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Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum) 'Shenandoah' is an attractive, pink-tipped ornamental grass that is native to North America. It is a larval host plant for the Delaware Skipper and Leonard's Skipper Butterflies. Ground-feeding songbirds and game birds enjoy its seeds. In addition, its dense growth provides birds with cover and nesting material. Switch Grass is also useful for controlling erosion. Its ecological benefits and ornamental value make it an excellent choice for gardeners interested in creating beauty while preserving wildlife habitat through the use of native plants.

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Emerges green with red tips, turns burgundy in the fall. Fast growing. Provides winter interest and bird cover. Cut to ground in late winter

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