Following is a bud that I would describe as exuberant — revived, jaunty, lively, lively, playful, bright and buoyant. Words out of a dictionary, but if a plant can give you those qualities in a landscape you want to sit up and take note. The graceful form of fountain grass goes with virtually any garden style. Easy to develop, you’ll want to incorporate it in which you can for nonstop drama and excellent looks.
Caution: In warm climates this species could self seed prolifically — it is not a problem within my Vermont garden (USDA zone 5) but homeowners in warmer zones must know. Some species in the genus are recognized as invasive plants in California’s wildland, for instance, red fountain grass (Penisetum setaceum).
Chuck B. Edwards – Breckon Land Design
Botanical Name: Pennisetum alopecuroides
Common Name: Fountain bud
Where it will grow: Hardy to -10 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 6 to 9; locate your zone). Watch California care over.
Water requirement: Medium to moist
Light requirement: Full sun to part shade
Mature Size: 2 1/2 to 5 feet tall and wide
Benefits and tolerances: Tolerates dry conditions, wet soil, atmosphere pollution; prefers full sun but may take light shade; brings birds
Seasonal attention: Flowers are showy late summer into fall and persist throughout winter
When to plant: Springsummer or fall
Terrascapes Landscape Design
Distinguishing attributes. Arching stems spray out like a fountain as the frequent name implies, making a great series of airy, soft blossoms that deal nicely with hardscapes. Medium green mounds of foliage turn yellow and brown in the autumn.
Paintbox Garden
Shown here with Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Heffernan Landscape Design
Smaller types of fountain grass are great for smaller spaces in which height and mass are a concern; here they’ve been planted in mass along the edges of a walkway, making a clean, simple yet complex composition.
Popular cultivars comprise ‘Hameln’,‘Little Bunny’ and ‘Moudry’.
Revealed:’Little Piglet’
Milieu Design
How to use it. The dwarf fountain grass’Hameln’ is effective when used as a low-facing plant in a mixed border with heleniums, purple salvia, and willow bluestar (Amsonia spp.) . Here it’s been blended with tall feather reed grass to accent a rock wall. Both capture the late afternoon light in a delightful way and look especially good in October using chokeberry and Virginia sweetspire.
Use for erosion control on slopes to mitigate runoff. Fountain grass also makes a good choice for naturalistic meadows and sweeps where low maintenance is desired.
Debora carl landscape layout
Nothing softens a patio like cascading foliage which rustles with the wind. For something different, use red fountain grass and set it with blue fescue in a full sun location.
Fountain grass makes a good cut flower for summer and autumn agreements — mix it using coneflower, black-eyed Susan and zinnia.