Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Ribbon Grass bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called ribbon grass, gardeners garters, variegated reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea 'Picta').

More about ribbon grass

About Ribbon Grass

Phalaris arundinacea 'Picta' · also called ribbon grass, gardeners garters · flowering

Ribbon grass, or gardener's garters, is a cool-season variegated grass with bright white-and-green striped blades, sometimes flushed pink in cool weather. Extremely vigorous and rhizomatous, it spreads aggressively and is considered invasive in many regions, so containment is essential. Tough and adaptable, it tolerates sun or shade, wet or dry soil, making it a resilient but assertive groundcover.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons ribbon grass isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming ribbon grass traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding ribbon grass a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get ribbon grass to flower

Maximise sun. Give ribbon grass the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for ribbon grass and get the feeding right with the ribbon grass fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Ribbon Grass flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full ribbon grass care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Ribbon Grass blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my ribbon grass flower?

Ribbon Grass blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make ribbon grass bloom?

Give ribbon grass the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does ribbon grass normally bloom?