Panicum Frosted Explosion Grass

If you’ve ever visited our flower farm during peak picking season, you’ll probably remember one thing before the dahlias, zinnias or snapdragons — the irresistible, shimmering clouds of Panicum elegans Frosted Explosion. It is often the plant that people don’t know by name when they arrive, but by the time they leave, it’s the one they can’t stop talking about. With its airy, sparkler-like seed heads that catch the light and move beautifully in the breeze, Frosted Explosion has become one of our most-loved grasses, and for good reason. It adds texture, softness and movement to bouquets in a way that no flower can. Once you’ve worked with it, you’ll wonder how you ever arranged without it.

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An Effortlessly Elegant Cut-Flower Grass

Unlike many ornamental grasses, Panicum elegans Frosted Explosion is grown specifically for cutting, not landscaping. Its delicate sprays branch out from a graceful, slender stem, creating a fine mist of seed heads that look almost weightless. The name is spot-on — it really is like fireworks frozen in time, an explosion of tiny shimmering grains that surround the stem in a halo. In arrangements, it plays the role of “air,” opening up space, softening heavier focal flowers and adding that high-end, professional finish. Designers adore it because a single stem transforms a bouquet from pretty to polished.

The stems are naturally clean, upright and uniform, which makes them quick to harvest and prepare. They’re strong enough to stand in a vase, yet flexible enough to weave among focal blooms without breaking. The colour shifts gently through the season: fresh green early on, then cooler silvery tones as the heads develop. By late season, it takes on subtle bronze and gold hues — never dull, always elegant.

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A Favourite With Flower Pickers & Market Customers

At our farm, Frosted Explosion is one of the first plants visitors gravitate toward. People run their fingers through the clouds of seed heads and immediately ask: “What is this?” It brings joy, it photographs beautifully, and it elevates every bucket of stems. It pairs wonderfully with dahlias, cosmos, scabiosa, cornflowers, ammi, nigella or any romantic cottage-garden flower. It’s also brilliant for more modern or dried arrangements, where structure and negative space are the stars.

If you sell bouquets at markets or in florist shops, this is a grass that sells bouquets for you. Customers may not know the name, but they know the effect — and they’ll remember the bunch that had it.

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Excellent for Drying & Long-Lasting Indoors

One of the biggest bonuses of Frosted Explosion is how well it dries. When cut at peak maturity, the seed heads retain their shape and airy quality beautifully. Hang bunches upside down in a cool, dry place, and within a week or two you will have ethereal dried material that keeps for months. In wreaths, winter arrangements or dried bouquets, it adds the same dreamy, cloud-like texture you enjoy in summer.

Fresh stems also have a surprisingly long vase life. With clean water and regular trimming, they hold up for 7–10 days, often longer.

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Easy to Grow, Loved by Beginners & Experienced Growers

Panicum elegans is more forgiving than many people expect. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, and it appreciates regular moisture during establishment. Once settled, it grows quickly and flowers reliably. For cutting gardens, plant in rows or blocks rather than scattered — you’ll end up harvesting far more usable stems.

This variety also has a charming habit on our farm: it gently self-seeds. You’ll often find volunteer seedlings popping up in the beds the following spring. They’re rarely invasive or troublesome, just helpful additions — free plants that pick up where last year’s crop left off.

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Why We Recommend It

• ✨ Adds movement, texture and visual “air”

• Easy, productive, very floriferous

• Loved by U-pick customers and florists

• Elevates fresh bouquets instantly

• Dries beautifully & stores well

• Often self-seeds — a gift for the next season

Whether you’re growing for yourself, your market stall or a full cutting patch, Panicum ‘Frosted Explosion’ is one of those varieties that changes how you design. It’s simple, magical and full of character — a staple on the farm, and one we are delighted to share with you.

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