It never ceases to amaze me that there are so many perennials that are perfectly suited for the garden but are rarely found at garden centers. Chionochloa rubra, native to the short-grass steppes of the New Zealand Alps, is certainly one of these hard-to-find garden treasures.
The completely winter-hardy tussock grass combines all the desirable qualities for a garden: It is incredibly elegant, evergreen—or rather, always red—it doesn’t produce runners, and it doesn’t go to seed in our climate. It tolerates both dry and wet conditions equally well, and the possibilities for combining it with other plants are almost unimaginable—yet it requires absolutely no care. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to propagate, so the few nurseries that carry it have to charge a fair price. – A gem that no garden suited to this climate should be without.
