Great Design Plant: Lively Fountain Grass Thrives Just About Anywhere

Here's a grass that I would describe as exuberant — animated, jaunty, vivacious, spirited, playful, bright and buoyant. Words out of a dictionary, but when a plant can give you these qualities in a landscape you want to sit up and take notice. The graceful form of fountain grass goes with virtually any garden style. Easy to grow, you'll want to integrate it where you can for nonstop drama and good looks.

Caution: In hot climates this species can self seed prolifically — it's not a problem in my Vermont garden (USDA zone 5) but homeowners in warmer zones should be aware. Some species in the genus have been identified as invasive plants in California's wildland, including the red fountain grass (Penisetum setaceum).

Botanical Name: Pennisetum alopecuroides
Common Name: Fountain grass
Where it will grow: Hardy to -10 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 6 to 9; find your zone). See California caution above.
Water requirement: Medium to wet
Light requirement: Full sun to part shade
Mature Size: 2 1/2 to 5 feet tall and wide
Benefits and tolerances: Tolerates dry conditions, wet soil, air pollution; prefers full sun but will take light shade; attracts birds
Seasonal interest: Flowers are showy late summer into fall and persist through winter
When to plant: Spring, summer or fall


Distinguishing traits. Arching stems spray out like a fountain as the common name implies, making a great show of airy, soft flowers that contract nicely with hardscapes. Medium green mounds of foliage turn yellow and brown in the fall.


Shown here with Sedum 'Autumn Joy'


Smaller forms of fountain grass are great for small spaces where height and mass are a concern; here they've been planted in mass along the edges of a walkway, making a clean, simplistic yet sophisticated composition.

Popular cultivars include 'Hameln', 'Little Bunny' and 'Moudry'.

Shown: 'Little Piglet'


How to use it. The dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln' is effective when used as a low-facing plant in a mixed border with heleniums, purple salvia, and willow bluestar (Amsonia spp.). Here it's been combined with tall feather reed grass to accent a stone wall. Both catch the late afternoon light in a delightful way and look especially good in October with chokeberry and Virginia sweetspire.

Use for erosion control on slopes to mitigate runoff. Fountain grass also makes a good choice for naturalistic meadows and sweeps where low maintenance is desired.


Nothing softens a patio like cascading foliage that rustles with the wind. For something different, use red fountain grass and pair it with blue fescue in a full sun location.

Fountain grass makes a good cut flower for summer and fall arrangements — mix it with coneflower, black-eyed Susan and zinnia.

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