Switchgrass ‘Cheyenne Sky’

* Common name: Switchgrass ‘Cheyenne Sky’

* Botanical name: Panicum virgatum ‘Cheyenne Sky’

* What it is: A version of a U.S. native ornamental grass that’s good at staying upright (unlike taller grasses that often flop by late summer) and especially nice in early fall when the green blades turn burgundy-red. ‘Cheyenne Sky’ also develops dainty pinkish-purple seed heads that hold slightly above the foliage in late summer.

Switchgrass seldom runs into bug or disease issues, and deer and other animals don’t like it.

* Size: Grows three to four feet tall. Clumps expand to two to three feet wide in a few years.

* Where to use: Lots of possibilities: as sentry plants on either side of a sunny door, gate, or entryway; as a loose hedge; clustered on sunny banks; mixed in a perennial border; spotted around water gardens, or as a backdrop plant behind shorter perennials and annuals. Tolerates damp or dry soil, and grows in full sun to light shade.

* Care: Cut to a stub in March (or any time over winter). Once established, water is needed only in extended dry spells. No fertilizer needed. If clumps spread where you don’t want them, dig up and divide… fist-sized pieces transplant easily.

* Great partner: Sedum ‘Neon,’ ‘Brilliant,’ ‘Autumn Joy,’ or ‘Autumn Fire’ are good perennial partners that bloom as ‘Cheyenne Sky’s’ seed heads peak. Asters and goldenrods also are good late-season partners. Shrub roses and dwarf conifers make some of the best shrubby neighbors.