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The fountain grasses, Pennisetum, are attractive perennial grasses from warmer parts of the world. They look their best in late summer and autumn.
What sets them apart from other grasses is the mass of bristly bottlebrush spikes held upright or arching, like fountains, above slender, graceful foliage. The flowers may be creamy or biscuit-coloured, some with pink or red overtones, with many retaining their looks throughout autumn and into winter.
The long narrow foliage is attractive all year round, but looks its best in autumn, when it develops golden, buttery shades, often with coppery overtones. Some cultivars of one species, the half-hardy Pennisetum x advena, have dramatic dark-red and variegated leaves.
More advice on growing ornamental grasses:
Discover beautiful pennisetums to grow and how to grow them.
Bright-red bunny tails, fading to biscuit brown, are carried above glossy-green foliage. Flowers from July October.
Height x spread: 90cm x 90cm.
Neat and compact with narrow foliage and greenish-cream flowers on arching stems. Flowers August to November.
H x S: 45cm x 45cm.
Greyish leaves with fluffy flowerheads. Less hardy than some, but superb in a pot. In blooms from July to October.
H x S: 60cm x 60cm.
Especially free-flowering, with soft, pink-tinted white flowerheads. Flowers from July to September.
H x S: 1.2m x 1m.
Red foliage and arching, reddish-purple flowers. Not hardy, but great in a sheltered pot. Flowers from July to November.
H x S: 1.5m x 1m.
