Pennisetum alopecuroides

An ornamental grass prized for the soft movement and texture it brings to the garden. Its arching form and bottlebrush-like blooms appear from August to October, adding graceful presence and visual interest to meadow planting.

Pennisetum alopecuroides is one of the most popular ornamental grasses worldwide, producing arching mounds of narrow green leaves and feathery bottle-brush flower spikes from midsummer through autumn — typically July through November in the Mediterranean. The plumes range from creamy-white through pink to deep purple-black depending on cultivar, fading gracefully to pale tan through winter. The foliage turns warm orange-gold in late autumn before going dormant. Hardy to -15°C in most cultivars, drought-tolerant once established, the grass prefers full sun and tolerates poor soils, brief flooding and coastal conditions; it resents deep shade.

Fountain grass forms tidy clumps 60–120 cm tall depending on cultivar, ideal for the middle of dry borders, in massed drifts along paths and driveways, in contemporary minimalist compositions, and in large rectangular containers on terraces. The pink-flowered 'Hameln' is compact and reliable; the dark 'Black Beauty' creates dramatic contrast with silver foliage. Pair with the silver of Salvia rosmarinus, Westringia and Stachys byzantina; with the purple of Verbena bonariensis and Salvia 'Caradonna'; and with autumn-flowering Sedum, Aster and the pink mist of Muhlenbergia capillaris. Cut back hard to 15 cm in late winter before new growth starts.