Chionochloa rubra
Red tussock grass, Red snow grass
Also known as Chionochloa conspicua 'Rubra'
- Height × spread
- 1.5m × 1m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Flowers
- Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
A beautiful grass with slender leaves that are held, for the most part, strongly upright, the outer leaves curving out to cover a lot of garden. The foliage is coloured a superb copper bronze shade. The slender light brown coloured flower spikes are held above the foliage. Lovely in drifts planted where the light catches it. Give this a light fertile soil that always has moisture in it. Give it a sunny spot that is sheltered form cold winds.
- Flower colour
- Brown
- Foliage colour
- Green, Yellow
- Fruit colour
- Yellow
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Fan
- Height
- 1.5m
- Spread
- 1m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn, Winter
- Flowers in
- Summer
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Prairie garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Bird attraction
- Hazards
- No
AutumnNow
Autumn - mid · Planting
Deadhead to tidy for winter
Tidy the plant to make the garden ready for winter. When the flowering season concludes around mid-autumn, cut off the flowered stems to their base.
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Spring - early-mid · Planting
Divide when too large
The plant can be divided if it becomes too large or another plant is required. This may involve physically dividing the clump in two, removing offsets or small bulbs or dividing rhizomes. The new plants can be grown in pots or planted in the ground.