'Cheyenne Sky' is a Prairie Winds switchgrass from the Proven Winners line, sold by its tag as a full-sun perennial about 36 inches tall. The tag shows an upright clump of blue-green blades with red-purple tints and airy panicles, and the standing clump fades to straw-gold and tan in winter. It is shorter than most switchgrasses, which keeps it useful in smaller borders and means it rarely needs staking.
Switchgrass is a warm-season native of tallgrass prairies that tolerates heat, drought, clay, and brief flooding once established. Seeds feed finches, sparrows, and juncos, and the dense base shelters overwintering insects. Leave the clump standing through winter and cut to 4 to 6 inches in late winter before new growth emerges.
Ecoregions:Northern ForestsEastern Temperate ForestsGreat Plains
Rust
Orange to brown raised pustules on the undersides of leaves, with yellow spotting on the upper surface. Heavy infections cause leaves to yellow and drop.
Remove and destroy infected leaves. Avoid overhead watering and improve air circulation. Apply a sulfur or copper-based fungicide if it spreads. Clear plant debris in fall.
Crown Rot
Lower leaves yellow and wilt; the base of the rosette turns brown and soft, sometimes with white fungal threads at the soil line. Plants collapse in wet conditions.
Remove and destroy affected plants. Improve drainage and avoid overhead watering. Do not mulch directly against the crown. Space plants for airflow and avoid replanting in the same wet spot.