Plant Type

Perennial, Grass

 

Height Range

1-3', 3-6'

 

Flower Color

Pink, Purple, Red, White

 

Flower Season

Summer, Fall

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full

 

Water

Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Formal, Japanese, Meadow, Mediterranean, Ranch, Spanish, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Showy Flowers, Unusual Shape

 

Seasonal Interest

Winter, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Entry, Perennial Border, Shrub Border, Foundation, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Hedge, Mass Planting, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

n/a

Fountain grass is a group of warm-season, clumping grasses with graceful forms and early plumes. Foliage is fine-textured and green, with the leaves 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and up to 30 or so inches long. The form is dense, upright, and mounded, growing from 1 to 3 feet tall and wide, and a little taller while in bloom. Fountain grass tend to bloom before Miscanthus and Panicums, usually by mid-July. Flowers are fox-tail-like and plump, and range in colors from white, cream, pinks, to nearly black. Flowers tend to shatter, but foliage persists into winter.

Fountain grass are very adaptable, growing in just about any soil as long as it is well drained and in full sun. They perform the best when they are in fertile, loamy soils and receive regular watering. As with other grasses, cut them back in late winter, see the Guides for details. A very tidy grass, well suited to more formal sites and shrub borders, but it also holds its own in raucous perennial borders, providing a valuable bridge between blooming seasons and into the winter months.