Pennisetum, Fountain Grass 'Red Head'

Pennisetumalopecuroides

Family
Poaceae (poh-AY-see-ee)
Genus
Pennisetum (pen-ih-SEE-tum)
Species
alopecuroides (al-oh-pek-yur-OH-id-eez)
Synonym
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Foliage
Grown for foliage
Herbaceous
Height
24-36 in. (60-90 cm)
Spacing
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Hardiness
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
Danger
N/A
Bloom Color
Red
Maroon/Burgundy
Bloom Time
Mid Summer
Other Details
Category
Ornamental Grasses and Bamboo
Water Requirements
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Foliage Color
Where to Grow
Bloom Characteristics
Bloom Size
Other details
Soil pH requirements
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Patent Information
Non-patented
Propagation Methods
By dividing the rootball
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; winter sow in vented containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse
From seed; stratify if sowing indoors
From seed; sow indoors before last frost
From seed; direct sow after last frost
Scarify seed before sowing
Seed Collecting
Bag seedheads to capture ripening seed
Collect seedhead/pod when flowers fade; allow to dry
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds
Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds
Regional

This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:

Denver, Colorado

Saint Charles, Illinois

Martinsville, Indiana

Taylorsville, Kentucky

Ellicott City, Maryland

Kingston, New Hampshire

Delta, Ohio

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Knoxville, Tennessee

show all

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Gardener's Notes:

3
positives
1
neutral
2
negatives
Sort By:
Sort By:
G
G
Lone Tree, CO | August 2018 | negative

I planted this in the fall of 2010 and I am in zone 5B, a suburb of Denver, CO. I did not notice that it was seeding everywhere until a f...Read More

E
Tyaskin, MD (Zone 7a) | September 2015 | negative

A very strong negative. This thug seeds itself everywhere. I pulled out hundreds of seedlings this past spring, after one year of bloom...Read More

C
Martinsville, IN (Zone 5b) | March 2014 | neutral

Beautiful knee high grass, nice mounding shape and early beautiful blooms. Has reseeded into my lawn, very bad thing. Easy to remove ro...Read More

D
Kingston, NH | July 2008 | positive

I have 7 of these in different grouping around the yard,
this is a beauty!! nice reddish stalks of brushes to color
the yar...Read More

E
Oakland, CA (Zone 10a) | May 2007 | positive

Very reliable fountain grass with beautiful flowers. It does have a tendency to re-seed and with gusto.

S
Ellicott City, MD (Zone 7a) | October 2006 | positive

"Red Head" is an earlier flowering form of P. alopecuroides. It begins to show its huge, bottlebrush plumes in mid to late summer. Deep ...Read More

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