Ribbon Grass
Phalaris arundinacea var. picta
📖 About this plant
A vigorous, spreading grass noted for its striking white-striped leaves with green margins, creating a bright, colorful groundcover effect. In summer, it produces airy panicles of pale green flowers. Fast-spreading via underground rhizomes, it excels at stabilizing soil and filling large areas but can become invasive in ideal conditions. Best used in contained areas, alongside streams, or where its spreading habit is welcome.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Partial shade to full sun (3-6 hrs)
Every 1-2 weeks
Moderate (40-60%)
5-30°C
Moist to wet, well-draining soil; tolerates boggy conditions, clay, and poor soils; very adaptable
Light application of balanced fertilizer in early spring; avoid over-fertilizing which increases invasiveness
🌐 Common Names
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Northern temperate regions worldwide — Europe, Asia, and North America; the variegated cultivar is of garden origin
- 📏 Max height
- 45-90 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 60-90 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White, Pink
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green, White Striped
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Fast
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Contains gramine, a compound that can be toxic to livestock if consumed in large quantities; generally safe for humans and pets in garden settings
- 🌱 Propagation
- Division of clumps in early spring; can spread aggressively via rhizomes — contain with barriers
🛡️ Health & Safety
Contains gramine, a compound that can be toxic to livestock if consumed in large quantities; generally safe for humans and pets in garden settings
Common issues
- Aggressive invasive spreading
- Rust fungi
- Leaf spot
- Root rot in wet soil
💡 Care tips
- Striking white-striped green leaves create bold visual contrast
- Spreads aggressively so best contained in pots or raised beds
- Cut back hard in midsummer if foliage becomes tired
- Grows well in wet boggy areas where other grasses struggle
