Melinis nerviglumisRuby Grass

The plumes of Melinis nerviglumis open a rich ruby pink and age slowly to a silvery buff, held above a compact tuft of fine blue-green blades that themselves flush purple in strong light. The whole plant rarely exceeds 0.6 metres, so it works at the front of a scheme rather than as a backdrop.

It is an African grassland species and it wants exactly what that implies: full sun, sharp drainage and very little water. On irrigated, heavy ground it is short-lived and disappointing.

Specifications

• Height0.4 to 0.6 metres in flower
• Width0.3 to 0.5 metres
• Native toSouthern and tropical Africa
• FoliageFine, narrow blue-green blades in a dense tuft, often flushing purple; evergreen in warm climates
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilRequires sharply drained sandy or gravelly soils; tolerates poor ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established and resents wet feet
• ClimateThrives in warm, dry, subtropical and semi-arid regions

Additional Features

• FlowersFluffy ruby-pink plumes from summer into autumn, ageing to silvery buff
• UsesOrnamental grass massing, gravel and xeriscape beds, median planting and low bed fronts
• SpacingPlant 0.3 to 0.4 metres apart for a continuous drift
• Low MaintenanceCut back annually to refresh the tuft; replace clumps every three to four years
• Pest ResistanceGenerally untroubled where drainage is free
• Drought TolerancePerforms well on genuinely low irrigation and dislikes overwatering
• Seasonal AppealA long plume season followed by a silvery winter effect

Ruby Grass brings fine texture and a long pink plume season to hot, dry, low-water schemes.