Plant Finder

Moana Nursery High Desert Plant Finder & Guide

Description:

An eye catching new selection from seed collected in the mountains of British Columbia; during the colder months it has a dazzling ruby hue; a compact mound of slender grassy blue green foliage in summer; great for naturalizing woodland areas.

Ornamental Features

Ruby Stiletto Wood Rush is primarily valued in the garden for its cascading habit of growth. It features airy clusters of creamy white flowers rising above the foliage from late spring to mid summer. Its grassy leaves are bluish-green in color. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous ruby-red in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Ruby Stiletto Wood Rush is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with a shapely form and gracefully arching foliage. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Ruby Stiletto Wood Rush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Ruby Stiletto Wood Rush will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is an amazingly adaptable plant, tolerating both dry conditions and even some standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Ruby Stiletto Wood Rush is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.