Imperata

(Japanese Blood Grass) Cylindrica Red Baron

Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron' is a slow, upright grass whose narrow green blades turn blood red from the tip downwards, deepening to an almost translucent crimson by late summer. It reaches about 40-50 cm tall and 30-40 cm wide, spreading gently by short rhizomes rather than running. Plant 5-7 per square metre in a loose group, or set three together where they will be backlit by low sun, which is when the colour really shows. It is grown purely for the foliage and rarely produces flowers in a temperate garden. Use it at the front of a border, along a path, beside a dark hedge or in a wide, shallow pot on a terrace.

It colours best in full sun but also grows well in partial shade, where the red is a little softer. Plant in soil that stays lightly moist and drains freely; sandy ground improved with compost suits it, while cold, waterlogged clay does not. Water in dry summer weeks, as the blades brown at the tips when the soil dries out completely; in a pot it dries out much faster and should be checked twice a week in warm spells. Cut the old foliage right down to about 5 cm in early spring before new growth appears, and pull out any shoots that come up plain green so the plant does not revert. It is hardy in the ground, and a layer of mulch over the crown in autumn helps it through a hard winter on light soil.

Your order will be hand picked and packed in our strong and sustainable packaging as soon as possible, after which it will be delivered straight from our greenhouse to your door by your chosen carrier. You can follow the journey of your plants via the tracking link you receive in your mail. If you have any questions regarding your order and its shipment, you can get in contact with our support team.

We expect every order to arrive in tip-top shape. We take intensive care of the plants in our greenhouse and use special and as sustainable as possible protective packaging to ship our plants. We also wrote an extensive blog about how to unpack and prepare your plants for growth after shipping. However there are rare occasions where our plants don’t meet their full potential. That’s why all plants are guaranteed for 30 days after arrival, if still in its original nursery pot.