Thanks for sharing your experience. I have done some more digging into my ornamental grasses books and google search. It appears that the red colour may be associated with cool temperature into the fall. The other possibility of yours not changing colour could be a mis-labelled plant. I have a Panicum 'Hanse Herms' for 5 years and it never has any hint of red. I suspect it is not as labelled.

So far my reading suggested that:

-'Shenandoah' is more burgundy and 'Rotstrahlbusch' is more bright red.

- 'Cheyenne Sky' is burgundy and may be more compact (shorter) than the other 2.

- 'Rotstrahlbusch' has a red tint all seasons, the others started out green.

Based on the above characteristics, perhaps, I should try all three.

I google the image for Andropogon gerardii 'Red October' that you suggested. I would love to have that one, but it is not available in my Canadian sources.

Andropogon Red October is listed in the online catalogue of Canning Perennials, Ontario if you are interested.

I have two red Panicums, Shenendoah and Blood Brothers but can't comment on how red they are as they were new to me last summer. I'm anxious to see if they survived the winter. Of course, my season is shorter than yours so they may not develop their color as well if it is based on cooler fall temps. I also have Panicum Heavy Metal which is going into its third year. I picked up Miscanthus Purparescens as well for its red color so will have to wait and see how hardy it is.

Thanks. I forgot to check Canning. Now I have to pick a couple of other plants to justify the shipping/pickup cost. I have Miscanthus purparescens for a few years. It is supposed to be hardy to zone 3 (unlike 'Cabaret' rated as one 6, and I lost mine in a bad winter). I really like it for its colour, relatively shorter than other Miscanthus, and graceful white flower in winter.

Thanks. Looking forward to seeing all the grasses if winter ever comes to an end!

I'd suggest having a look at the National Grass Trials website. Lots of data (and some pics) there about the behavior of different cultivars growing in different parts of the country.

Thanks for suggesting that useful site. In general, I have found that many trials data (from grasses to perennials like Heuchera) provide useful info for growth characteristics. For appearances, the grading systems become overly simplistic and subjective for gardeners (especially plant addicts), but valuable for nursery trades. For example, fall colour ratings of 4.3 for 'Shenandoah' and 5 for 'Northwind' (which is not red; an attribute I am after in this case). I do benefit from the data from that site for many other purposes.

Pictures of my first year Andropogon Red October. Best of the red, in my humble opinion

Ornamental grasses · More Info

Ornamental grasses · More Info

My Shenandoah has never wowed me. This is a 3 year old stand, and that's about as good as the color gets.

Ornamental grasses · More Info

Thanks. This is good to know. I will skip Shenandoah form my hit list.

Me too. For red---Big Bluestem 'Red October'. Mine already have hints of red. They are slow starters though. Takes a couple seasons as it works on roots under ground. The Red October has very stiff leaves as well (so far, mine are young). I'm thinking maybe the plant form is more elegant than the straight species but time will tell. There is a gas station in the city here with the species type planted in a row. As far as ornamental goes, its just a mass of curving deep green leaves, nothing to look at most of the year. Out on a prairie, you don't even notice them until they send up the tall turkey feet and its those seed head stalks against a blue sky that is the 'wow' factor.

Another factor is there is that decorative panicum grass form that you will never get with Big bluestem. Its simply a more decorative grass overall. It gets tall faster, blooms much much earlier and sways beautifully in the wind and looks fantastic when backlit in late afternoon or morning sun. Mine start blooming midsummer providing interest from then until I cut them back in late winter.

My answer to this is to plant both. I've got 6 Red October plants in a group planted nearby three types of panicums, each in groups with a swath of little bluestem and blue grama in the foreground.

I just thought of one more thing. Big bluestem doesn't have the lovely winter interest you get with the panicum grasses. We don't get much snow here so thats always a consideration for me.

Thanks for sharing your experience on the use of ornamental grass. I have only experimented with various grasses in the last few years (cautiously). I have always worried about some grasses may not have sufficient ornamental forms that it can make a bed look weedy. Your suggestion for combination to mitigate and add winter interest is very useful. We have lots of snow and Panicum and Miscanthus looks even more graceful in winter.

My switchgrasses are the first the crumple under the weight of the snow. Everything else stands up pretty well (little blue will be nearly upright all winter, until the REALLY heavy snows hit in spring) but panicums are laid flat pretty early compared to the others. Don't get me wrong, I like them a lot, but their "winter interest" life is limited.

I have Shenandoah, and it's really not very red, maybe only slightly more than Tina's. Last year it seemed to go straight from green to straw color, without turning at all red. It's a fine selection however, the green looks good with the blue color of little bluestem, and the hint of red is nice. But if you are going for RED red, probably not the one you want.