Cenchrus, Purple Fountain Grass, Rose Fountain Grass 'Rubrum'

I am in zone 8b and have been blessed by a wonderful person that has sent me some of the Purple Fountain Grass and I am debating whether ...Read Moreor not to plant in a 12x12x12 containers with Miracle Grow, "moisture control" to be exact. Also to put them in full sun. Here it is September 3 and just getting them started. Can someone help me to know what to do. We did have a cold winter this past but usually it is somewhat mild. Should I just pot them up and hold over winter or go ahead and put in containers. Advice would be great. If you would please email me at jerryfkimbrell@yahoo.com and put in subject line "Purple Fountain Grass" Thanks in advance.

I planted 2 of these in my front yard. We used a drip-irrigation system and had ammended the clay soil. By the end of summer, they had ...Read Moregrown 4'x4' and they were absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately the landscaper and the nurseryman said that they are not perennial in Zone 7. They make a nice winter interest plant though. I finally dug them up in March and will replace them with new ones. They love full sun and the long, foxtail plumes look great dancing in the breeze. The burgundy foilage can't be beat and goes well with all kinds of plants. Heavy rains can make the plant wilt, but they bounce right back in a few days.

This beautiful ornamental grass can be grown outside of it's hardiness range if you can provide it with some shelter during the winter. <...Read Morebr /> I've had this plant for 5 years or better. I'm in zone 8b so I have to grow it in a container and winter it over in my unheated garden shed. It goes dormant during the winter but comes back in the early spring and grows bigger and more beautiful each year. I've had to pot it on to larger containers a few times. Now I just give it a bit of a root pruning and freshen it up with some new soil every spring. This way I can keep it in a manageable sized container and still keep it happy.

I'm in zone 8 and have never had or heard of a problem with overwintering this grass. I started with 2 plants, 1 gallon size, and now hav...Read Moree more huge mounds than I know what to do with. Each year I chop it to the ground in the late fall, dig it up, and using an electric knife chop the rootball into 4ths or 8ths, depending on how large it is. Then I either give them away, plant some in new places around the yard, or throw some away. All Winter I'm sure it's dead and not coming back, then each spring they start by sprouting a few blades of grass, and then by the end of the Summer I'm back to where I started with huge stands of grass overtaking everything in it's path. I love this stuff though. It doesn't reseed, and it's very pretty nodding in the breeze. I plan to put a few bunches of it in the backyard with some other varieties when we landscape it. I've only lost one bunch that I replanted, and it was because it was in an area that got too much water over the Winter, and the roots rotted. It is very drought tolerant, and shouldn't be overwatered.

I live in zone 7b and bought about 10 1 gallon pots of this lovely plant and the tag from the Home Depot said that they were perrienals i...Read Moren our area. Needless to say I lost everone of them, but because I did not keep the receipt I could not take them back. I do love them so I bought eight this year and would like to overwinter them and need to know how. I have a very dark garage and that is about it. If anyone has done this I would love to know how. Thanks

I'm an inexperienced gardener in Menlo Park CA (zone 9), and bought 2 pennisetum setaceums in June when they were about 6" tall at a fin...Read Moree local nursery because i just fell in love with their look and color. i had been clearing out an old neglected garden bed off the kitchen patio - it was heavy in clay, so i had forked in gardener's choice as instructed on the big bag and made a whole new 15' x 4' bed that gets midday sun from noon to about 3 but is otherwise in shade. the rubrums are now 34" tall x 16" wide including what I call their "plumes" and are simply beautiful, the stars of the bed along with sword and pony tail ferns and some salvia, etc.. talk about dumb luck !! a highly recommended grass for those who like grasses and are in the right climate. thanks for all the tips on cutting back, etc., for ongoing growth !! next, pink fountain grass in a huge pot.

I've grown this two years in a row and it's a very lovely accent plant. It's grown as an annual in this zone, as the winter is too severe...Read More for it to survive. The dark purple, almost black colour of the leaves and stalks provides great contrast with other garden plants. The showy seed heads look wonderful swaying in the breeze. It grows well both in containers and in the ground. I don't think it's drought-tolerant, but can take a windy site since its narrow leaves minimize moisture loss.

It needs some hot, sunny weather to get growing, and it can take a while for the seed heads to show. In a cool year they didn't pop out until mid-July, but were already visible by mid-June in a hot year. Also, it will only reach a height of about 2 feet in this northern climate. It can be grown in a container if given sufficient space to spread out.

I am curious how do you know if it is coming back it is March around 61f and all my plants are showing signs of life except this one. Sho...Read Moreuld I rip it out now or wait. Not sure what zone I am in. I live in Seattle WA.

I live in a zone 6 in the interior of British Columbia.I have been planting these beauties for approx 4 years now ,they are outstanding i...Read Moren the garden or in pots,they do not however survive our winters (yet),going to try to bring them in to a more sheltered area of the house in the fall,let you know next year if it worked.

I bought two one-gallon plants and repotted into two gallon pots since I wasn't going to put them in the ground just yet. It's been no m...Read Moreore than two months and they've filled the two gallon pots and are blooming to beat the band! I can't wait to get them in the ground.

I planted several Pennisetum Rubrum last summer and they were absolutely beautiful. This spring I trimmed back the old dead stalks. It...Read More is now the middle of May and I do not see any signs of life. The other grasses I have are growing. I really like this purple grass and certainly don't want to dig it up. I need to know if I should be seeing signs of growth or if I lost the grass over the winter.

I live in zone six, and this plant is amazing in part sun, in big pots! The show really starts in late July, and carries on through late ...Read MoreOctober. They grow to about 6' high and 2-3' wide! I find that LOTS of water is key!

Does anyone have any experience in Zone 6 of overwintering this plant?

Great xeric plant. In zone 8 with intensely hot summers, I watered by hand about once a week for 2 minutes (but heavily mulched) and this...Read More plant has thrived---5 feet tall and gorgeous. Another in a different location has endured but not thrived with much less water.

This will grow to a huge size if in a normal garden setting, with normal water and fertilizer routine in 9b.

Better suited...Read More for a wild lands or open space setting. Will reseed readily, needs to be sheared to the ground each Spring to maintain shape and clear out dried fronds.

I planted this last year with some shorter ruby grass in front of it and they were beautiful together. It is well worth re-planting each...Read More year, and I pretty much plan my whole garden around it now.

These plants started slowly for me in the spring, then really took off in mid- to late- June. When I planted them, they were scrawny little stands about 9" tall, but by August, they were 4' high and had filled out a lot! Be patient... :)

I'd like to try to propagate them; the ones I had last year were too big to dig up and bring inside, and growing from seeds is not recommended.

Neutral because I planted one just 3 or 4 weeks ago, and there has been absolutely no change in its size at all. Having said that, we hav...Read Moreen't had the best weather during that time. We've had lots of rainy, overcast weather & today is the warmest it has been at 22c or about 72f.

I know that some grasses are very slow growing, but since this is an annual in these parts & does get very large I'm a bit concerned because I placed it in the centre, a very prominant spot of my front garden. It's supposed to end up being the focal point and the tallest plant.

Purple Fountain Grass a favorite for color, grace and ease of control.

In coastal northern California (U.S.), this reaches amazing height and width. A 1-gallon plant planted in April became 6' tall and 4' wid...Read Moree by the first of August. Restricting water (once every 7-10 days) slows the growth down to a more manageable size of 4' high x 2' wide.

Pennisetum setaceum has become increasingly available at nurseries, and one of its best features is that - unlike many grasses - it does NOT reseed itself. Cutting it down to keep it from overshadowing everything else can be done at any time, transplanting is also easy. Excellent for windy sites, like all grasses the movement of the stems and feathery seed heads is very attractive.

Note that there are some mixed comments here: some people are referring to the Rose Fountain Grass which does re-seed, others are referring specifically to the cultivar 'Rubrum' Purple Fountain Grass which is a sterile hybrid.

This is an annual for me in Zone 6 but sure a great accent plant. It would go well with almost any color scheme. It is a plant I will g...Read Morerow again next year; I have really enjoyed having it in my garden.

I bought about six of these plants from a friend. They were nearly dead when I got them but I planted them around a wellhead in my backy...Read Moreard and they took off. During the dry season I cut them down to about 8 inches tall and that helps them survive until the rainy season when they take off again.