All Panicums combine well, but you must please your personal preferences. Since you seem to be getting into grasses, please let me recommend Rick DarkeÂs "Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses." This is the best book on grasses, in my opinion, and it carries many photos of different Panicums in combination with others. This book should be sold with a warning, however. Once you open it to consult DarkeÂs concisely but thoroughly presented information on any one of the bookÂs myriad spiecies, you will find yourself still reading two hours later. The bookÂs photos and info, like grasses themselves, are enjoyably addictive. Here is a link that might be useful: Color Encyclopedia of OG

Grass Guy, Man ... that question really challenged my memory! I have been trying to come up with the answer by looking at my garden pictures. Problem is my camera lost its 'date' function for the month of May. My records show that I made divisions of a sport that I have in trial in mid April and they were showing nice new shoots but nothing 'above ground'. I can say that all my panicums are just starting to show an inch or two of growth in early May and by mid June they are at least 2 feet tall. This first pic shows the height of the Panicums with respect to a few other grasses. Panicum Heavy Metal is along the high red fence and in the middle background is a Panicum Warrior and a row of Panicum 'Rehbraun' and in this pic you can see a Panicum 'Heavy Metal' close-up. Both pics were taken June 23 of this year.

Poor success with the Miscanthus must have more to do with snow cover than zone?? I just looked at a zone map & I really am a zone 4a garden with lows often down to -30F. But, we have good snow cover and I garden on sandy soil. I am growing at least 10 different cultivars of Miscanthus sinensis with no losses over a 5 year period AND I am able to grow Arundo donax which I might add, is very very happy here! The colder your winters, the more important it is to give plants that might be iffy a really early start. Don't try planting, moving or dividing at the end of the summer. A

Dave, Sweetbriar Nursery (http://homepages.vvm.com/~reid/seeds.htm) has switchgrass seeds. The nursery is in Central Texas, but you can order over the website.