Ribbon Grass (Phalaris arundinacea var. picta)

Choose ribbon grass for a striped pond edge

Ribbon grass (Phalaris arundinacea var. picta) is a hardy, spreading perennial grass for the wet edge of a garden pond, a bog garden or a large outdoor container. It is the variegated garden form of reed canary grass, and the RHS lists many old names for it, including gardener’s garters, lady’s garters, lady’s ribbons, bride’s laces, painted grass and silver grass. It is an outdoor pond and bog plant, not a plant for indoor aquariums.

The RHS plant profile describes a vigorous perennial grass in the family Poaceae that forms an extensive colony of erect stems to 60 cm, with narrow leaves boldly striped white, pale green and dark green and narrow, pale green flowering panicles in summer. It gives an ultimate height of 0.5–1 m and a spread of 1–1.5 m, reached in 2–5 years, and hardiness H7, which the RHS defines as hardy in the severest European continental climates, below −20°C.

Decide whether ribbon grass suits your pond

If you want colour at the edge of the pond through spring and summer and are ready to keep a vigorous grass in check, ribbon grass is easy to please. If your pond drains into a ditch or sits beside a stream, choose a locally native marginal instead, for the reasons set out further down this page.

Pick the plant size and format

One purchase supplies one ribbon grass plant in the size and format you select: a 7 cm plug, or a plant grown in a 9 cm, 1 litre or 3 litre pot. The 9 cm, 1 litre and 3 litre sizes come either potted or bare root, and the plug comes bare root. Potted plants arrive in their pot; bare-root plants are sent without the pot, ready to plant straight away.

Match the size to the job

Ribbon grass dies back to below ground level every autumn, as RHS Plants notes, so plants sent between autumn and early spring may arrive as a dormant clump with little or no leaf. That is normal; new shoots appear in spring. The RHS suggests mid-spring to early summer as the best time to buy new pond plants, when the water is warming. Our delivery information explains dispatch days and arrival times.

Plant ribbon grass in shallow water at the margin

RHS Plants lists ribbon grass with the marginals for 0–5 cm of water and says it thrives in boggy or aquatic conditions. Marginals, in the RHS growing guide, are plants for shallow water near the edge of the pond, so set it on the marginal shelf, not in the deep zone in the middle of the pond.

Pot it into a lined aquatic basket

1. Choose an aquatic basket sized to the plant. Its lattice sides let water and gases through.
2. Line the basket with hessian or polypropylene fabric so the soil does not wash out.
3. Fill it partly with a peat-free aquatic compost, or a medium to heavy loam that is free of fertiliser and herbicide.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as it grew in its original container and firm the compost around it.
5. Top-dress with a thin layer of grit or fine gravel so fish do not disturb the soil.
6. Lower the basket onto the marginal shelf so that no more than 5 cm of water covers the soil surface.

These steps follow the RHS aquatic planting guide, which also advises that bare-rooted plants planted in summer have their tops trimmed back by half and their roots trimmed to within 2.5 cm (1 in) of the crown. The basket does a second job: the RHS notes that vigorous plants are easier to control when grown in a basket, and ribbon grass is nothing if not vigorous.

Grow it in a bog garden or a container

Ribbon grass does not have to stand in water. RHS Plants recommends reliably damp or boggy soil, says it tolerates a wide range of soil moistures and suggests either free-roaming sites or container cultivation, describing it as excellent ground cover along pond edges. The main RHS profile is broader still: any soil (chalk, clay, loam or sand), acid, neutral or alkaline, in an exposed or sheltered spot, in full sun or partial shade, facing south, east or west. That profile even lists well-drained soil, which shows how adaptable the plant is; for a pond-side planting, keep it damp.

Choose the spot by light and moisture

Whichever site you choose, give it room. The RHS spread of 1–1.5 m is reached in a few years, so leave space between the basket and slower neighbours, or plan to divide it regularly.

Cut back and divide to keep the stripes bright

Two cuts a year keep ribbon grass tidy and colourful. To keep the variegation, the RHS advises cutting back all but the new young shoots in early summer, and RHS Plants says regular cutting back in late winter or early spring also helps control its vigorous growth. The RHS propagates it by division from mid-spring to midsummer.

Follow a seasonal calendar

The sources differ slightly on timing. The RHS growing guide prefers autumn for pruning aquatics so that breeding wildlife such as newts is not disturbed, while RHS Plants recommends cutting ribbon grass in late winter or early spring. If newts breed in your pond, keep heavy work at the margin away from their breeding season. Wear gloves whenever you divide or trim: RHS Plants carries the caution “toxic if eaten / skin and eye irritant”.

Control its spread from the start

Ribbon grass is a plant to contain, not to let loose. RHS Plants says it spreads swiftly, can be difficult to remove once it establishes and can be invasive; the main RHS profile says it has the potential to become a nuisance and may need to be controlled. Wikipedia notes that wild reed canary grass spreads by seed and by thick underground rhizomes, and that in many places it is invasive in wetlands, where it inhibits native vegetation and reduces biological diversity.

Use four layers of containment

• Basket or container: grow it in a lined aquatic basket or a solid container rather than straight into open ground.
• Seed heads: OATA advises regularly deadheading the seed heads of invasive species and disposing of them carefully, so cut the flower panicles before they ripen.
• Boundaries: OATA advises positioning new plants away from the edge of your garden; check the rim of the basket each spring and cut off any runner escaping over it.
• Hygiene: wash tools and boots after work at the pond so you do not carry pieces elsewhere.

GOV.UK says you should not intentionally allow aquatic plants to grow or spread outside your land, and that dumping aquatic plants in the wild may be an offence. Ribbon grass is not on the GOV.UK list of banned invasive plants, but the same care applies to every vigorous pond plant.

Keep ribbon grass out of streams and wild wetlands

The wild, plain green reed canary grass is already a common plant of British watersides. British Plant Communities describes a Phalaris arundinacea tall-herb fen, typical of the margins of fluctuating waters and common around ponds and lakes of all sizes and along periodically flooded dykes and rivers, where the grass forms an often dense canopy usually 1–1.5 m tall. The striped garden form is a cultivated selection, and the RHS does not class it as native to Britain or Ireland.

Follow OATA’s plant-wise checklist

• If your pond is near a wetland or another body of water, OATA advises avoiding any plant that is not locally native; choose a native marginal for that site.
• Before you place a new plant, remove the surface layer of compost and wash the plant in a bucket to strip out seeds and stray fragments.
• Leave plants you remove on the pond edge for a few hours to drain, so pond creatures can find their way back to the water.
• Use unwanted plant material as mulch away from water bodies and drains, and check whether your council garden-waste collection accepts it.
• Never take plants from the wild, and never release pond plants or animals.

This checklist comes from OATA’s plant-wise guidance, which also does not recommend using aquarium plants in outdoor ponds. Ribbon grass is the opposite case: a garden pond plant that has no place in an aquarium.

Plan the planting around your pond fish

Ribbon grass grows at the edge, so it does not compete with fish for open water. It softens the margin of a pond that holds coldwater fish such as the Golden Orfe, the Golden Tench, the Pearl Roach Rudd or the Bronzed Comet Goldfish. Keep the gravel top-dressing on its basket in place, because the RHS adds it precisely so that fish cannot disturb the compost.

Browse our goldfish and coldwater fish, the cold water fish category, the other pond fish and the goldfish category, and see Tropical Pond Sticks Mixed for a floating staple food.

Check the pond before you add fish

Before stocking, work out how much water the pond holds. For a rectangular raised pond or a large patio container, our tank volume calculator turns length, width and depth into litres. Our coldwater fish guide and comet goldfish guide explain what each fish needs. Planting the margins and stocking the water are separate decisions: get the basket of ribbon grass settled first, then add fish to a pond whose volume and filtration you know.

Answer ribbon grass buying questions

Can ribbon grass grow in an aquarium?

No. Ribbon grass is a hardy outdoor grass that dies back below ground every autumn. Grow it at the edge of a garden pond, in a bog garden or in a large container outdoors.

How deep should I plant ribbon grass in a pond?

RHS Plants lists it with the marginals for 0–5 cm of water. Pot it into a lined aquatic basket and stand the basket on the marginal shelf so no more than 5 cm of water covers the soil.

Does ribbon grass spread?

Yes, quickly. RHS Plants says it spreads swiftly, can be difficult to remove once established and can be invasive. Keep it in a basket or container, cut the seed heads off and check the edges each spring.

How big does ribbon grass get?

The RHS gives an ultimate height of 0.5–1 m and spread of 1–1.5 m, reached in 2–5 years, and describes stems to 60 cm. RHS Plants gives 1 m tall and 1.5 m across.

Why has my ribbon grass died back?

It dies back to below ground level every autumn and new shoots appear in spring. Plants sent between autumn and early spring may arrive as a dormant clump with little or no leaf.

Is ribbon grass poisonous?

RHS Plants carries the caution “toxic if eaten / skin and eye irritant”. Wear gloves when you divide or cut it, and keep the trimmings away from children and pets.

When should I cut ribbon grass back?

The RHS advises cutting back all but the new young shoots in early summer to keep the stripes bright, and RHS Plants adds that cutting back in late winter or early spring helps control its growth.

Is ribbon grass hardy in the UK?

Yes. The RHS rates it H7, hardy in the severest European continental climates, below −20°C.

Which size should I buy?

A 7 cm plug or 9 cm plant is the cheapest way to start a basket or a bog patch; the 1 litre and 3 litre sizes give a more established clump straight away. Potted plants keep their root ball; bare-root plants arrive without the pot, ready to plant.

Consult the plant references

• RHS: Phalaris arundinacea var. picta (gardener’s garters) — names, family, description, size, hardiness, soil, position, pruning, propagation and spread.
• RHS Plants: Phalaris arundinacea var. picta — marginal depth 0–5 cm, damp or boggy soil, autumn die-back, cutting back, sun-scorch and the toxicity caution.
• RHS: aquatic plants planting guide — buying season, aquatic baskets, liners, compost, top dressing and bare-root planting.
• RHS: how to grow aquatic and bog plants — marginals and bog plants, controlling vigorous plants in baskets, dividing, pruning timing and drought watering.
• OATA: how to be plant wise — choosing plants near wetlands, washing new plants, containment, deadheading, disposal and never releasing.
• GOV.UK: invasive non-native plant rules in England and Wales — letting aquatic plants spread outside your land and dumping them in the wild.
• Wikipedia: Phalaris arundinacea — reed canary grass, its rhizomes and its invasiveness in wetlands.
• British Plant Communities: Phalaris arundinacea tall-herb fen (S28) — the wild species around British ponds, lakes, dykes and rivers.