Pennisetum (Fountain Grass)
at Digging Dog

Including Pennisetum orientale and Pennisetum alopecuroides

Pennisetum

Fountain Grass

The soft inflorescences take their name from the Latin words penna and seta meaning feather-bristle. This lovely grass is a favorite, distinguished by arching, feathery bottlebrush flowers spilling over a cascading mound of foliage.

A warm season grower, Fountain Grass welcomes hot weather and is widely distributed in both tropical and temperate areas.

Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Cassian’ 

Honoring German horticulturist Cassian Schmidt, this graceful midsized Kurt Bluemel selection sparks our interest through three seasons. Its compact fluid form sets the stage for fawn-colored bristlelike cylinders that softly linger just above elegant foliar blades. In a grand finale of arresting warmth, the autumnal leaves celebrate lavish gilded highlights and red hues, which definitely earns ‘Cassian’ a front row seat in our mixed border.

Blooms August–October.

Size: 3' high x 2-1/2'–3' wide; hardy to zone 6.

Pennisetum alopecuroides Cassian (g-0487)
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Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ 

Dwarf Fountain Grass

Its compact habit and finely textured foliage make this one of the most popular Pennisetum cultivars. More darkly hued than the species, the foliar mound is very upright and dome-shaped, playing host to the plump, slightly curved and creamy green flower heads that arch at least a foot aloft. Alighting on wiry slender stems held by fanlike sheaves, the fuzzy inflorescences bloom earlier than the species.

To heighten the garden drama, let ‘Hameln’ anchor a riot of Asters and Nepetas.

Blooms late July–October.

Size: 2'–2-1/2' high x 2-1/2' wide; hardy to zone 6.

Pennisetum alopecuroides Hameln (g-0465)
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Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Moudry’ 

Black Fountain Grass

Flowing with deep green, fairly wide, glossy foliage, ‘Moudry’ forms a burnished, tidy-looking basal mound. The showy cylindrical spikes resemble large dense foxtails, as they arise on stiff stalks just above lush deciduous leaves, which color to yellow and orange come autumn.

Unparalleled among other ornamental grasses, the phenomenal fuzzy blooms impart dark purple-black shades, and make excellent cut flowers, fresh or dried. Introduced by the National Arboretum from a batch of Japanese seeds, fall blooming Black Fountain Grass is indispensable for its late season appeal in the mixed border.

Blooms September–November.

Size: 2' high x 2'–2-1/2' wide; hardy to zone 6.

Pennisetum alopecuroides Moudry (g-0453)
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Pennisetum orientale 

Orient Fountain Grass

A dense, rounded clump of narrow arching leaves explodes into long blooming, fuzzy, copper-pink flower spikes, exquisite in large drifts or contrasted with broad-leafed perennials, like Helenium ‘Zimbelstern’. Backlight this grass and enjoy a fountain of color and youth.

Blooms June–October.

Size: 12"–2' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 6.

Pennisetum orientale (g-0023)
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Pennisetum orientale ‘Shogun’ 

Discovered amidst a drift of Pennisetum orientale by the Hooves of Limerock Nursery, ‘Shogun’s taller, more vigorous habit was easy to spot.

Tapered, verdant blades angle upwards from the stiff stems and flex slightly downward as they lengthen. Appearing lighter than air above an uncrowded Asian-style base, spiked bottlebrush-like blooms shape a fluffy, pink-tinged tan cloud that can float midborder amid neighbors such as Echinacea Big Sky ‘Sunrise’ and Baptisia ‘Carolina Moonlight’.

Blooms June–October.

Size: 3'–3-1/2' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 6.

Pennisetum orientale Shogun (G-0493)
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Pennisetum orientale ‘Tall Tails’ 

Giant Fountain Grass

Vigorous and heat-loving, and much larger than the species, this bushy Pakistani cultivar has a 3 to 4 ft. vaselike clump of green foliage, with wonderfully whitish “tails” touched by a muted pink ascending a full foot higher. Giant Fountain Grass makes a compelling ingredient in the mixed border, especially with tall Achilleas and Angelica gigas nearby.

Blooms June–October.

Size: 5'–7' high x 3'–4' wide; hardy to zone 6.

Pennisetum orientale Tall Tails (g-0093)
Each $8.00
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