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Panicum virgatum 'Rubrum'

Deciduous, clump-forming, perennial grass about 1m tall. with flat, linear, mid-green leaves, which develop shades of bright red to purplish red in summer and autumn. Airy sprays of tiny, chestnut-brown flowers are produced from mid-summer to early autumn

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Size
Ultimate height
0.5–1 metres
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
0.1–0.5 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Green Red
Summer Brown Green Red
Autumn Brown Green Red Purple
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Drought resistance
Yes
Hardiness
H5
Botanical details
Family
Poaceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming
Genus

Panicum can be annual or perennial, evergreen or deciduous grasses, with flat, narrowly lanceolate leaves, with large finely branched panicles of small spikelets in late summer or autumn

Name status

Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in any moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. See ornamental grasses cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by division in mid-spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Gravel garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Prairie planting
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Cut flowers
  • Flower borders and beds
Pruning

Remove dead foliage and old flowered stems in spring

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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