An upright mound of narrow blades, 40 to 90 cm tall and glowing red, is what makes Red Baron blood grass (Imperata cylindrica ‘Red Baron’) stand out from every other grass in the bed. Give it full sun and cool, well-drained soil and it asks almost nothing in return — beyond pulling out the prolific runners that can turn it invasive.
| Botanical name | Imperata cylindrica |
|---|---|
| Common name | cogongrass |
| Family, Type | Poaceae, Grass |
| Bearing | Upright mound |
| Foliage | deciduous |
| Height | 16 to 36 inches (40 to 90 cm) |
| Spacing | 6 to 8 plants per sq. yard (m²) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | cool, well-drained but not too dry |
| Flowering | autumn (rare) |
Red baron blood grass stands out gainst other grasses with the intriguing shape and color of its leaves.
To make sure your Imperata cylindrica ‘Red baron’ feels right at home, aerate the soil and lighten it up with either soil mix or compost. If the soil seems really heavy to you, you can also mix in a little sand which will increase drainage. Water thus won’t linger around for too long.
Actually, once it has settled in properly, Imperata cylindrica ‘Red baron’ will cope with drought much better than it will with flooding.
You won’t need a very deep pot for this grass. 6 inches / 15 cm is deep enough.
Choose a pot that is as wide as you wish your clump to become. Make sure there’s lots of drainage:
This grass is difficult to grow together with other plants, so you’ll have to prefer multi-pot compositions instead. Indeed, Imperata grass tends to kill other plants off, waging a kind of plant warfare underground with its roots.
‘Red Baron’ behaves very differently depending on whether you let it loose in a bed, confine it to a pot, or fence its rhizomes in. Here is what each option asks of you.
| Where to grow | Soil and depth | Planting partners | Keeping it in check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flower bed | Aerated soil lightened with soil mix or compost, plus sand if heavy | Other grasses (Chasmanthium latifolium, Pennisetum) or perennials such as bellflower | Pull running shoots out every now and then; sink a spade round the centre if the clump grows too large |
| Pot | Only 6 inches / 15 cm deep, with a drainage hole, gravel and sand mixed in | None in the same pot — prefer multi-pot compositions | Pot width sets how wide the clump can become |
| Edges and patterns | Ground fitted with a rhizome barrier | Used alone, along walkways or garden entry points | The barrier locks the grass in as it fills the shape |
Wherever you plant it, check with your local agriculture office first, as in some places cogon grass may not be planted at all.
Grasses have the ultimate advantage over all other plants if you don’t like gardening: they require practically zero care. The only important step to perform is to trim the clump short at the end of winter. Usually, March is the best month to do so.
Special note of caution: if the area suits it well, Imperata cylindrica ‘Red baron’ may quickly turn invasive because of its prolific runners. Nonetheless, it’s not so difficult to control if you’re wary: simply pull running shoots out every now and then. In cases where the clump has grown too large for your taste, sink a spade round the center and pull everything outside of it away.
As is the case for many perennials, Imperata cylindrica ‘Red baron’ is an easy plant to multiply. You’ll quickly end up with a great many shoots.
Divide the clump at the same time you cut it back short, while there is no top growth to support.
Aim to give each division a length of rhizome carrying at least one visible bud along with some roots, as this gives the new plant the best chance of establishing quickly.
Keep rhizome and root pieces out of the compost and bag them for disposal, since a single fragment can root and found a new colony; leaf blades alone pose little regeneration risk.
Your ‘Red baron’ bloodgrass is almost invulnerable to pests and diseases.
If the crown turns mushy and shoots fail to appear after the March trim, lift the clump and replant a firm division on a raised, gritty spot.
Although it doesn’t grow very tall, the ‘Red baron’ Imperata cylindrica will for sure fit the spot in your flower beds.
Whichever option you choose, your I. cylindrica ‘Red baron’ will bring warm colors to your garden with its red hues and rare bearing.
This is an excellent plant to play around with as you landscape. Use a rhizome barrier to carve a pattern in the ground. As the plant spreads and grows, it will fill the pattern in for a surprising effect!
Similarly, use this root barrier technique to lock the grass in along edges lining your walkways or entry points to the garden.
Apart from the striking looks of varieties such as the ‘Red Baron’ and the ‘Ruby’, cogon grass has other positive aspects as well.
In its native territories, this grass has quite a few uses:
This plant also has the name “bloodgrass”. Earlier, it was because of its red color. Now, since it is one of the world’s worst invasive plants, it almost deserves the name because it exterminates other native plants as it spreads!
