Japanese Blood Grass Is a Traffic Stopper

"Come out to the driveway and take a look at this," Lyn shouted, interrupting her departure and rolling down the car window. "You have to see this!"

I'm glad she gave me a shout because a few minutes later, that perfect scene was gone. It held for the few minutes it took me to dash indoors to get my camera.

Japanese blood grass always stops traffic in my garden, but yesterday was special; all systems were go: setting sun, pristine air, almost autumn, when the reds get redder. Too, the grass clumps had become healthier than ever after abundant rains and cooler temperatures.

Blood grass, one of the showiest of my ornamental grasses, has been a staple in every garden I've grown for the past 20 years. Growing 1 to 2 feet tall, it clumps and spreads by rhizomes, leading some to declare it a pest. Well, any plant's a pest if you don't want it growing where it is. Dwarf bamboo was my pest.

But blood grass? I love it anywhere it goes in my garden, and that's in a lot of places; it's naturalized, and wherever it pops up, it looks naturally beautiful.

Lee May, journalist, author, gardener, blogs at leemaysgardeninglife.com