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versatilegardener

purple fountain grass

versatilegardener
16 years ago

I planted 5 of these last spring. Now they are all brown. Are they dead? Are they hardy in my zone?

Thanx.

Comments (18)

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    16 years ago

    Yes, it's dead. No, it's not hardy. This grass is treated as an annual in all but the warmest, frost free locations (zone 10).

  • stephanotis_1
    16 years ago

    I hate to disagree, but purple fountain grass is pretty hardy all the way down to zone 7, espscially if it has a good root system. Here in AZ, Purple fountain grass is extremely popular because it can withstand the extended high temps, and still survive a hard frost. What we do here is trim it down two times per year when the top turns brown, and then within a week it starts sprouting new purple foliage. If the clump gets too wide, which happens often, just dig it up, hack it into smaller pieces with roots attached, and plop it back into the ground, give some away, or toss it in the trash. You won't be without it for long! It will stay brown looking until it recovers from the shock, and then it should take off like gangbusters if given regular water. The only time I have ever killed this grass is by overwatering it. It may look dead, but let the temps warm up and see what happens. If it stays looking dead much into the 70's or 80's then yeas it is dead, but you may be pleasantly surprised.

    It will go from this: {{gwi:850686}}

    to this: {{gwi:850687}}

    in no time at all.

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  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    16 years ago

    Stephanotis, you may be the exception to the rule, but if you review the archives of this forum, you'll find this issue has come up many, many times and with virtually all the same results - the grass does not reliably survive winters in zones below 9. There has also been rather limited success with gardeners attempting to overwinter the grass indoors. Some have pulled it off, most have not.

    I've grown this grass for years in my very mild zone 8 climate and it has never overwintered. And I'm a bit of a sucker for pushing zones - many other zone 9 plants fair very nicely in my garden. I'm sure a good many other responders would offer the same results. According to John Greenlee, The Encylopedia of Ornamental Grasses: "Used as an annual north of Zone 9, purple-leaved fountain grass can be killed at 20F." I find that temperature guide to be rather generous, as it seldom survives much beyond the first hard frost, let alone 20F.

  • planterjake
    16 years ago

    I got this grass last spring cause I saw guy had one at his mailbox, his comes back every year. I just checked mine today and it's roots are still alive and starting to grow to root shoot offs.

    -Jake

  • grass_guy
    16 years ago

    Rubrum is a perennial grass, but a frost tender perennial grass. It will stop growing in the 40's and suffer loss with temps in the high 20's. Here in my zone 8b, it is a 50/50 each year. If we have only 3 or 4 nights below freezing, it may come back, since our day temps are so warm. If it's a cold winter, with a few cold days as well as nights, it's usually a goner. The verdict is out on the clumps this year. So far I see no signs of new growth. We had a night that hit 17 and I think that was the end of them. I'm afraid if I do see some growth, it will not be pretty. I've cut them back, but I'm almost ready to dig them up and plant fresh clumps in the next week or so.

    When it completely browns out, it may or may not have some energy left. Often times, you get a sparse growth from a mostly dead clump that will not perform well. Zone 8 can have success with clumps that have managed to reach a large size after a few milder winters, but zone 7 survival would be the exception to the rule. It would take a micoclimate or extreme condition variable to allow it to survive in zone 7.

    There are some hardier purple fountain grasses that will survive colder zones. Pennisetum Prince and Pennisetum Princess have recently been shown to survive into zone 7.

  • sheys-garden
    16 years ago

    Does anyone know where you can buy these in seeds.I have hunted everywhere.

  • stephanotis_1
    16 years ago

    From what I know of this variety of grass, the seed is sterile, which is one of the reasons I grow it. No reseeding.

    I think that there are so many differences in the whole zone issue, that it can definitely be misleading when trying to apply it to your particular plant. I know it is much drier here in the PHX area, and up in the PNW it is much more humid, not to mention occasional snow, which we never get. Here in PHX I don't know anyone who loses that grass, though I do know many people who wish they did lose it annually! When it spreads, it really spreads. I was overwhelmed my first year growing it because my little 1 gallon purchase turned into a monster, and then I had to dig it up and use a power saw to cut through the roots for dividing. Then I thought i had killed it for sure because it sat brown fall til spring, when it slowly but surely pokes out new leaves. I thought the stuff had to be the most destruct-proof stuff ever, if it could survive me, the saw, and then winter temps.

  • grass_guy
    16 years ago

    s_1,

    you've got me convinced to wait another couple of weeks for some sign of hidden energy in those roots.

    Anytime you need to borrow some humidity, please let me know. :)

  • rigreenthumb1
    16 years ago

    I just ordered Oriental Fountain Grass. Does anyone have any info. on the Oriental Grass?

  • grass_guy
    16 years ago

    Pennisetum Prince and Princess are absolutely stunning grasses! I knew they were much hardier, but hadn't heard they could survive zone 5. They're a great alternative to Rubrum for a burgundy perennial grass. Also, Panicum Shenendoah or Rotstrahlbusch have nice red coloring.

    Pennisetum orientale is hardy to zone 5. It's very nice, but I prefer the Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose', (Oriental Pink Fountain Grass). It has darker purple flower spikes than the species. Really nice!

  • webkat5
    15 years ago

    Prince and Princess are only hardy to zone 8....not a replacement for Rubrum....

  • grass_guy
    15 years ago

    The jury's still out on the hardiness of Prince and Princess. Growers are conservatively listing as zone 8, but this will likely change with time. It is at least 1 zone hardier than Rubrum and feedback shows it to likely be 2 zones hardier...that would place it as a solid zone 8, possible zone 7, perhaps hardier. It does work well as a replacement for rubrum, which is not a reliable zone 8, particularly when a burgundy color is desired in a cooler southeast zone...and no, it's not the burgundy perennial grass the northeast has been after. It also can be a replacement for hard to get phormiums of the same color.

  • custom4
    9 years ago

    I'm in zone 6 and have mine planted in the ground....I am going to cut it down to the ground an put about 12 inches of straw over top of them....I have success at this before. I'll let you know how I make out.

  • Nancy Mitchum
    8 years ago

    I live in Charleston SC and planted several of these in planters last year. I cut them back before it got cold here (25-30 deg) and now they all look dead. It's been in the 70 - 80's the last two weeks. Do I wait in hopes that they will show signs of life or start over? Cutting these back typically is not an issue but, obviously it affected mine since that's all I did to them. Thoughts?

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    8 years ago

    If you read through previous posts on this thread, purple fountain grass - Pennisetum setaceum Rubrum' - is not reliably hardy once temperatures get below 40F and all professional literature rates it only perennial in zone 9 or above. 25F would most definitely be the kiss of death. You need to start over with new plants.

    So your cutting back had no effect on them - it was winter and Ma Nature.


  • Debbie Greene
    8 years ago

    I live in zone 8b and have had purple fountain grasses for 4 years, I cut them back each fall and then they flower profusely. Right now in Nov 2015 they are blooming but not as well as in the past. They had bad spider mites this summer and I treated them but don't think I killed all the mites and am wondering if that is why they are not as full and purple this year. Any ideas on why the flowers are not as purple and not as full as they have always been?

  • buyorsell888
    7 years ago

    I've had Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' die in my heated greenhouse over winter...


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