5 Red Fountain Grass Starter Plants – Pennisetum ‘Rubrum’ Ornamental Landscape Grass

Overview

Transform your outdoor space with these stunning Red Fountain Grass starter plants. Known botanically as Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’, this ornamental grass is celebrated for its dramatic burgundy foliage and elegant, feathery flower plumes. Each order includes 5 bare-root starter plants, ready to establish quickly in your garden. This perennial grass creates a lush, fountain-like appearance, typically reaching heights of 3 to 4 feet with a similar spread. It’s an excellent choice for adding movement, texture, and vibrant fall color to any landscape. The deep red to purple coloration intensifies in full sun, making it a focal point in borders, mass plantings, or as an accent. If you’re looking for a striking and relatively low-maintenance addition to your garden, these Pennisetum Rubrum ornamental grass plants are an ideal selection.

Red Fountain Grass starter plants are a favorite among gardeners for their adaptability and visual appeal. They thrive in various conditions and bring a sophisticated charm to modern, contemporary, and even xeriscape gardens. The graceful arching leaves and swaying plumes provide year-round interest, ensuring your garden remains captivating through multiple seasons. Get ready to enjoy the dynamic beauty and effortless elegance that this exceptional ornamental grass brings to your landscape.

Key Benefits

Adding Red Fountain Grass starter plants to your garden offers numerous advantages, enhancing both the aesthetic and ecological value of your outdoor space. These benefits make it a top choice for gardeners seeking both beauty and practicality:

• Striking Visual Appeal: The vibrant burgundy and red foliage provides a dramatic contrast against green plants, intensifying in full sun. In late summer to early fall, airy, pinkish-tan plumes emerge, adding a soft, feathery texture that sways gracefully in the breeze, making it a captivating landscape ornamental grass.
• Low Maintenance: Once established, Red Fountain Grass starter plants are remarkably drought-tolerant, reducing the need for frequent watering. They are also relatively pest-resistant, requiring minimal intervention to keep them healthy and thriving.
• Versatile Landscaping Use: This grass is highly adaptable and can be used in various settings, including as accent plants, in mass plantings for dramatic effect, as borders along pathways, or integrated into mixed perennial beds. Its clumping habit ensures a neat and tidy appearance.
• Fast Growing: These fast growing ornamental grass plants establish quickly, allowing you to enjoy their full beauty sooner. They rapidly form dense mounds, creating an immediate impact in your garden design and filling spaces effectively.
• Seasonal Interest: Beyond its stunning summer foliage, the plumes mature to a silvery appearance, extending visual interest well into autumn and even winter, providing year-round beauty. The fall color adds another layer of depth to your garden.
• Deer Resistant: Generally, deer tend to leave Red Fountain Grass alone, making it a good choice for gardens in areas with deer populations. This helps protect your investment and ensures your plants remain beautiful.
• Excellent for Cut Flowers: The beautiful feathery plumes can be cut and used fresh in floral arrangements or dried to create long-lasting bouquets, bringing the garden’s beauty indoors.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper care is essential to ensure your Red Fountain Grass starter plants flourish and display their full, vibrant potential. This ornamental grass is known for its resilience but will thrive with the right conditions. It is typically hardy in USDA Zones 9 to 11. In cooler climates, it can be grown as an annual or overwintered indoors in a container. For optimal growth, these plants require full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. The more sun they receive, the more intense and rich their burgundy foliage color will become. While they tolerate a range of soil types, well-drained soil is crucial to prevent root rot. Sandy to loamy conditions are ideal for vigorous growth. Watering should be consistent during the establishment phase; once mature, the plants become quite drought-tolerant, though occasional deep watering during prolonged dry spells is beneficial.

To maintain a healthy and attractive appearance, annual pruning in late winter or early spring is recommended. Cut back the old foliage to about 4-6 inches from the ground before new growth begins. This encourages fresh, vibrant shoots and maintains the plant’s fountain-like shape. While generally pest-resistant, it’s always wise to monitor for common garden pests. Fertilization is typically not a high priority for Red Fountain Grass starter plants, especially in rich soil, but a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring can promote robust growth. Understanding red fountain grass care will ensure these beautiful plants add a dynamic and colorful element to your garden for years to come.

Size & Details

Each order contains 5 Red Fountain Grass starter plants, shipped as bare-root specimens. These plants are ready for immediate planting upon arrival, offering a robust start to establishing this beautiful ornamental grass in your garden. When mature, these plants typically grow to a height of 3 to 4 feet with a similar spread, creating a substantial and impactful presence in the landscape. The slender, arching leaves can reach lengths of 2 to 3 feet, contributing to the plant’s elegant fountain-like form. The feathery flower plumes, which emerge in late summer to early fall, can grow up to 12 inches long, adding significant vertical interest and movement. These are fast growing ornamental grass varieties, meaning they will establish quickly and begin to show their full potential within the first growing season. They are an excellent choice for gardeners looking for quick impact and lasting beauty.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these Red Fountain Grass starter plants get? A: When mature, these Red Fountain Grass starter plants typically reach a height of 3 to 4 feet with a similar spread. The feathery plumes can add an additional 12 inches to their height, creating a striking presence in your garden.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Red Fountain Grass is primarily an outdoor ornamental grass, thriving in garden beds and landscapes. In colder USDA Zones (below 9), it can be grown as an annual or brought indoors during winter.
• Q: How much sunlight does Red Fountain Grass need? A: For the best growth and most vibrant foliage color, Red Fountain Grass starter plants require full sun, which means at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. This also helps with plume production.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, Red Fountain Grass is considered relatively low-maintenance. Once established, it is drought-tolerant and pest-resistant. The main care involves annual pruning in late winter or early spring.
• Q: What condition will the plants arrive in? A: These are shipped as bare-root starter plants. This means they will arrive without soil or a pot, ready for you to plant directly into your garden or containers.
• Q: When is the best time to plant Red Fountain Grass? A: The best time to plant Red Fountain Grass starter plants is in spring or early summer after the last frost, allowing them ample time to establish before the cooler months.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: Red Fountain Grass is typically hardy in USDA Zones 9 to 11. If you are in a colder zone, it can be grown as an annual or protected indoors during the winter. Understanding your specific zone is key for successful red fountain grass care.
• Q: What kind of soil does this ornamental grass prefer? A: This landscape ornamental grass prefers well-drained soil. It tolerates a variety of soil types but flourishes in sandy to loamy conditions. Good drainage is essential to prevent root rot.
• Q: How fast does this ornamental grass grow? A: This is a fast growing ornamental grass. With proper care and sunlight, you can expect significant growth and establishment within its first growing season, quickly adding impact to your garden.
• Q: Can I use the plumes for decoration? A: Absolutely! The airy, feathery plumes of the Pennisetum Rubrum ornamental grass are excellent for cutting. They can be used fresh in floral arrangements or dried for long-lasting decorative bouquets.