Fountaingrass

Like so many grasses, fountaingrass is spectacular when backlit by the rising or setting sun. Named for its especially graceful spray of foliage, fountaingrass also sends out beautiful, fuzzy flower plumes in late summer. The white, pink, or red plumes (depending on variety) continue into fall and bring a loose, informal look to plantings. This plant self-seeds freely, sometimes to the point of becoming invasive.

Light:

Sun

Zones:

6-11

Plant Type:

Annual,Perennial

Plant Height:

10 inches-5 feet tall

Plant Width:

1-4 feet wide

Bloom Time:

Blooms in summer and early fall, depending on variety

Landscape Uses:

Containers,Beds & Borders,Slopes,Groundcover

Special Features:

Flowers,Attractive Foliage,Fall Color,Winter Interest,Cut Flowers,Dried Flowers,Attracts Birds,Drought Tolerant,Deer Resistant,Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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Perennial fountaingrass

Pennisetum alopecuroides makes neat but dense 2- to 5-foot clumps of 1/2-inch-wide leaves that turn golden in fall and persist into the winter. The bottlebrush panicles of silvery white spikelets (flowers) arise in late summer and mature to bronze, according to variety. Zones 6-9
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'Prince' purple fountaingrass

Pennisetum setaceum 'Prince' shows off delightful purple foliage that deepens in color as temperatures rise. It can grow 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. It's often grown as an annual in the North. Zones 8-11
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'Rubrum' purple fountaingrass

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' makes mounds of purplish-red leaves. Erect red stems carry arching 1-foot-long pink to reddish-purple panicles of spikelets from midsummer through fall. It's usually grown as an annual, though it is perennial in Zones 8-11.
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Garden Plans

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Garden Plan for Attracting Birds and Butterflies
Lush Foliage Garden Plan
Easy-Care Mixed Fall Garden Plan
A Simple, Late-Summer Perennial Garden Plan
Fall Deckside Garden Plan
Garden Plan with a Tropical Look
Corner of Grasses
Shared Garden
Foundation Garden
Architectural Front Yard Garden Plan
Flowery Deck Garden Plan

Plant It With

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Daylily

Colorful daylily flowers in reds, golds, yellows, and purples contrast beautifully with fountaingrass. They thrive in the same conditions.

False sunflower

The brilliant yellow and golden daisy flowers of false sunflower are cooled down when planted near fountaingrass, and together they create a meadow look in full sun.

Dahlia

The wonderful assortment of dahlia flowers in all colors and shapes lose some of their stiff formality when planted with fountaingrass. Both prefer full sun.

Propagation

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Seed
Division