Ribbon Grass, by a pond or a spot where nothing else will grow.

The image above is from my garden and shows the Ribbon Grass planted with the Rudbeckia Goldsturm. Image taken July 13.

About The Ribbon Grass

Plant the invasive Ribbon Grass by a pond, naturalized garden or a spot where nothing else will grow. Many gardeners curse this sun perennial, for its invasive behavior, but I love it. Maybe its because I divide it constantly and plant the clumps all over my garden giving certain bland and bare spots some texture and color.

The only issue I have with this perennial grass is towards the end of the season when the grass becomes too tall, tends to seperate and bends over in the rain. I now have the habit of cutting down the height in order to keep the plant looking tidy.

Also, as the grass plant ages, the crown portion turns brown in color. To combat this, I plant Catmint in front to hide the browning. It works as the fragrant Catmint spreads as quickly as the ribbon grass.

The grass foliage is variegated green and white, but I would say a liitle more white than green. When the flower seed plumes arrive, they sprout 16" above the grass stems. Some of the plumes I snip off and some I leave for as a fall interest plant. This grass grows to 36" tall and the spreading can become unruly...so give some clumps to your friends. They may or may not thank you.

How To Grow The Ribbon Grass

Although most gardeners tend to plant this perennial grass in a sunny spot, if planted in a part shade location, it becomes less invasive.

This grass is not fussy at all about soil type or soil drainage. In fact, this grass is quite heat and drought tolerant and easy to divide. It spreads by undeground runners and can easily be lifted and planted elsewhere in the garden with relatively little bother to the division itself. In no time, you will find the new grass standing straight up.

The perennial Ribbon Grass is great for inground pool landscaping, aboveground pool landscaping, pond landscaping, and in containers. One point to make: If you are concerned about the spreading habit, why not plant in larger containers and set in the ground. This will help contain the spreading factor.

Tip: The Feesey's Form 'Strawberry and Cream' is a less invasive variety of grass and has a glimmer of pink.

Great companions plants: Catmint, Daylilies, Rudbeckia Goldsturm or Yarrow Terra Cotta.

Check out my Site Index Page for a listing of additional annuals and perennials to plant in your flower garden design.

Ribbon Grass Features

• prefers sun but will tolerate part shade
• thick mass of stems
• can be invasive ground cover
• drought tolerant
• ordinary garden soil
• does not need fertilizer
• I leave my grasses up all winter for effect and then cut them down in the spring before the new growth starts
• divide in the spring just as the new growth starts, but many grasses can be divided in early September
• hardy

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