Chionochloa rubra

RHS Plant Profile
red tussock grass

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Chionochloa rubra?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
red tussock grass RHS 1997
red tussock grass RHS

Synonyms

Chionochloa conspicua 'Rubra'
Danthonia raoulii var. rubra

Award of Garden Merit
Grass Like
Buy this from Plant Nurseries
11 Suppliers

An evergreen grass forming a dense tussock with slender, red-tinted leaves and flowering stems to 1.5m, bearing elegant lax panicles of small, awned spikelets in late summer

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.5-1 metres
Max Height
1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H7

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Poaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Tufted
Genus
Chionochloa are compact, tufted evergreen grasses with narrowly linear, often attractively coloured leaves and tall stems bearing lax panicles of small flowering spikelets in summer
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
New Zealand

How to Grow

Cultivation

Easy to grow in moist but well-drained, light, fertile soil. Will not tolerate excessive winter wet

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame in spring or by division in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Prairie planting
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Low Maintenance
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Cut flowers

Pruning

Cut back old, flowered stems at the bases in early winter

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free