Grow Japanese Blood Grass
Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica) is a beautiful plant with shoots of red amidst the green. It grows about 50cm/ 18" in height and has sword-shaped leaves that emerge green and then turn red during summer, deepening to a darker crimson in autumn. It is a perennial plant grown for its ornamental foliage.
Steps
- Prepare well-drained soil where you would like to grow the grass. Moisten it - the plant loves moist, wet soil provided it is always well-drained. This grass is happy in full sun or part shade.
- Plant. Be sure not to crowd it out with other plants, to allow it to spread well. Plant about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} - {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} / 12" - 18" apart.
- Consider ways to arrange it. Japanese blood grass looks excellent edging garden beds or paths. It also works well next to ponds, water features and streams. If you want it to be a feature, tone down the plants around it; if it is to serve as a backdrop, plant a lot of blood grass together.
- Plant where sun will highlight the colours. It looks it most brilliant when the sun is able to back light it. Watch places in your garden for a week to work out where this will happen regularly.
- Keep watered and well drained. Don't over-water. Apart from that, it does not need much maintenance attention.
- Divide well-established clumps if you wish to move it to other parts of the garden. Healthy, vibrantly growing clumps can be divided and planted elsewhere in the garden during spring, as needed.
Tips
- Japanese blood grass works well in Japanese themed gardens and makes a nice addition to bonsai features.
- This plant will behave as a deciduous plant in cooler climates but will stay colourful in warmer climates.
- This grass is said to be deer-resistant; only really hungry deer will munch it.
Warnings
- Blades that revert to green should be removed.
- Can become a noxious weed.
Things You'll Need
- Japanese blood grass
- Garden bed area
- Digging implements
Related Articles
Sources and Citations
- ↑ Dave's Garden, Plantfiles: Japanese Blood Grass
- Dayton Nurseries, Japanese Blood Grass
