Monday, August 3, 2009

There is a harmless dragon in China Valley made of Bloodgrass

If you walk down the main path through China Valley you will arrive, when you're about 1/3 of the way down, at the head of this dragon. It's a cheerful visual construct in a generally non-frivolous garden. I like it.

Bloodgrass, Imperata cylindrica is native to SE Asia and other warm regions of the world. It is, in fact, an invasive issue in Florida. It seems to be okay here, where we're signicantly colder than the Zone 10 from which it originated. The red-leafed forms are almost always what's grown horticulturally; they seem to be winter hardy, while not seeding, and provide wonderful color in sunny areas. Our dragon lies in a consistently moist part of the garden which is a bonus for the Bloodgrass though it will grow nicely in soil of average garden moisture.

No comments: