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.

Fountain Grass

Fountaingrass Overview

Description 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.
Genus Name Pennisetum
Common Name Fountaingrass
Plant Type Annual, Perennial
Light Sun
Height 6 to 12 inches
Width 1 to 4 feet
Flower Color Pink, Red, White
Season Features Colorful Fall Foliage, Fall Bloom, Summer Bloom, Winter Interest
Special Features Attracts Birds, Cut Flowers, Good for Containers, Low Maintenance
Zones 10, 11, 6, 7, 8, 9
Propagation Division, Seed
Problem Solvers Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Groundcover, Slope/Erosion Control

Garden Plans for Fountaingrass

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Garden Plan for Attracting Birds and Butterflies

Lush Woodland Garden Plan

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Vibrant Fall Garden Plan

A Simple, Late-Summer Perennial Garden Plan

Foundation Garden

Foundation Garden Plan

English-Style Front Yard Garden Plan

English-Style Front Yard Garden Plan

More Varieties for Fountaingrass

Fountain Grass

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

Pennisetum purpureum 'Prince'

'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

Purple Fountain Grass

'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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