Gardening Plant Encyclopedia Perennial 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. By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on May 26, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email 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 Garden Plan for Attracting Birds and Butterflies Lush Woodland Garden Plan Vibrant Fall Garden Plan A Simple, Late-Summer Perennial Garden Plan Foundation Garden Plan English-Style Front Yard Garden Plan More Varieties for Fountaingrass 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 '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 '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. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit