Why Plant Heavy Metal Switchgrass?
Imagine the frosty blue blades of Heavy Metal Switch Grass bringing cool highlights to the beds and borders around your home. This popular Fringe delights with its steely blue foliage. It also features airy pink plumes that arise in late summer, bringing a feeling of lightness and delicacy to the garden. Heavy Metal’s formal, upright habit provides valuable structure, too. Nothing keeps this sturdy Fringe down—not wind or rain or hail or errant soccer balls—it just springs back into place. If you’re not a fan of Heavy Metal now, you will be once you witness a performance in your own backyard!
Switch Grass is a part of our natural American heritage—a noble, strong-growing Fringe that once stood proudly on the prairies of the Great Plains. This particular selection was introduced by the late Kurt Bluemel, a Maryland nurseryman who had quite a story of his own. Born in the Czechoslovakia in 1933, Bluemel and his family had to flee his home when he was thirteen when the Communists took power. They escaped to Germany, where he was put to work on a farm and later at a nursery to help support his displaced family. He eventually had great success as a nurseryman in the U.S. and was instrumental in popularizing Ornamental Grasses here.
How to use Heavy Metal Switchgrass in the landscape?
Like most of the blue-leaved Switch Grasses, Heavy Metal turns a wonderful, warm golden yellow in the fall. The foliage eventually fades to a parchment color, and the plant remains intact well into the winter. This plant works beautifully in groups or planted among other accent plants. These grasses attract lots of butterflies so prepare for having a charming butterfly garden in your backyard!
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 5-9
How To Plant Heavy Metal Switchgrass
Heavy Metal Switch Grass is bulletproof. Simply plant it in a sunny location in any type of soil and provide regular irrigation during the establishment period. Once it has put down roots, it will be fairly drought tolerant. Heavy Metal is also tolerant of periodic flooding, making it a good component in a rain garden. Icy weather doesn’t faze it either—ice may flatten it temporarily, but as soon as it melts, this perky Fringe pops right back up again. In late winter or early spring, cut back the old growth with manual or electric hedge trimmers or a bow saw to clear the way for new growth. Be patient—Switch Grass is one of the last plants to emerge in spring.
How To Water
Water your Heavy Metal Switchgrass deeply and regularly during the first year to help the grasses establish a deep root system and will transition into drought tolerance.
How To Fertilize
Heavy Metal Switchgrass does not need regular fertilizing, but recommend using our Elements Starter Plant Food in the early spring every 2-3 years.
How To Prune
Prune back the old growth in the early spring to help the new growth to be robust and keep the grass tidy.
How Does Shipping Work?
Bower & Branch Trees, the real BIG trees, don’t fit in a box! Our big trees, sizes XL and bigger, require expert delivery and care, that means our extra-large trees are shipped on Bower & Branch trucks. We are the only ones who know how to ship our big and bigger trees and plants with tender loving care. We deliver your trees and plants directly to you. Ask Bower & Branch about planting services – we'd be happy to assist in installation.
*For Big trees and Shrubs, Size XL and bigger: Review our Seasonal Shipping Timelines and Policy here.
Your trees and plants are grown across the United States at various Bower & Branch Growers. Depending on your location, your plant orders may be shipped from various locations. Please expect orders with multiple items to be delivered over a number of days as a result. Orders made up of numerous items or selections will not arrive at your home on the same day.
Shipping Delays:
From time to time, Bower & Branch Growers may determine to delay order shipment based on various factors for plant health. Weather in your region, as well as, where your plants are grown, is always considered when shipping. Extreme weather conditions may delay some or all of your order. Bower & Branch allows our Growers to make final shipping decisions based solely to benefit your trees and plants’ health and success.
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
