Garden Plant of the Month for September: Fountain grass
Grasses are popular in the garden, particularly fountain grass. With its elongated leaves and flowering plumes, the Garden Plant of the Month for September looks fabulous in the garden or on the balcony. The curving and upward lines of this grass species are attractive to look at in both summer and winter. Fountain grass comes in multiple varieties, with shorter and longer plumes that can look great in your garden.
Attractive dark plumes
Fountain grass (Pennisetum) is a member of the big family of ornamental grasses. Fountain grass is also called foxtail grass. When you see the plant with its attractive dark plumes, you can understand where these names come from. The plant originates from Australia and East Asia. The brownish, cylindrical inflorescences can reach a length of 25 cm and flower from July to September. The plant’s waving plumes are particularly elegant in summer, but they are also decorative in winter when they’re covered in snow. Fountain grass is a pollen-forming grass species with long, elegant, flat leaves from which the plumes emerge. The Latin word Pennisetum is a combination of the words ‘penna’ (= feather) and ‘seta’ (= pig’s hair) and refers to these inflorescences.
Caring for fountain grass
Your fountain grass will remain healthy and attractive by following a couple of simple tips. The plant likes a sunny spot in the garden, but can also do well in partial shade. Make sure that the soil doesn’t dry out, particularly during lengthy periods of drought. However, the plant doesn’t like to have its roots wet all the time either. Although the plant is hardy, it can do with a bit of protection during a hard and extended period of frost. Leave exhausted plumes and leaves on the plant in the autumn and winter to act as protection, and only remove them in early spring (March). New leaves will then form, and plenty of new ‘brushes’ will grow in the summer.
Pruning tip for fountain grass
To ensure an attractive plant again in spring, it’s a good idea to cut the plant back to 20 cm above the ground after the winter at the start of March. It will then have provided its own protection through the winter with leaves and old plumes, and can start growing and freshly blooming again.
More information about fountain grass and other garden plants can be found at Thejoyofplants.co.uk
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