Fountain Grass
Pennisetum alopecuroides
Grasses & Groundcovers Difficulty: Easy
📖 About this plant
A popular ornamental grass prized for its graceful, arching habit and stunning bottlebrush-like flower plumes that emerge in late summer and persist through winter. The fluffy, coppery-pink to smoky-purple seed heads rise above the mound of fine green foliage, catching the light beautifully. A versatile, low-maintenance grass for borders, mass plantings, and containers.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun (6+ hrs)
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Water
Every 1-2 weeks
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Humidity
Moderate (40-60%)
🌡️
Temperature
10-32°C
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Soil
Well-draining, average to fertile, sandy or loamy soil; moderately drought-tolerant once established
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Fertilizer
Light application of balanced fertilizer in early spring; compost top dressing beneficial
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea) and Australia
- 📏 Max height
- 60-120 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 60-90 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Summer - Fall
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Pink, Purple
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Fast
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic to humans and pets
- 🌱 Propagation
- Division of clumps in spring; seed sowing in spring (cultivars may not come true from seed)
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic to humans and pets
Common issues
- Leaf spot fungi, Rust, Root rot in wet soil, Aphids on flower plumes
💡 Care tips
- Graceful arching stems with fluffy bottlebrush flower plumes,Drought-tolerant once established in the landscape,Provides excellent textural contrast in perennial borders,Cut back to the ground in late winter before new growth starts
🪴 Add to My Plants
One click — added instantly. Watering every 11 days, fertilizing every 30 days.
