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Ornamental Grasses

substitute suggestions for purple fountain grass

19 years ago

Last fall we planted 3 Pennisetum alopecuroides and were told they were hardy to zone 7.

Have since found out it is really zone 9. No wonder I'm seeing no growth yet.

I'm terribly disappointed since I was counting on the purple color with Worcester Gold Caryopteris.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Raney

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Comments (8)

donn_
19 years ago
P. alopecuroides, the species, is hardy to zone 6, but it isn't Purple Fountain Grass. That would be P. Burgundy Giant, or P. setaceum 'Rubrum' or P. glaucus (Ornamental Purple Millet). All 3 are tropical, and can only be grown as annuals or taken in for winter. P. Glaucus, AKA 'Purple Majesty' is a very fast growing, corn-like model with fantastic dark seed clusters that birds adore. You can grow it from seed, to 4-5' in a single season.
sissyz
19 years ago

Raney,
Here in Memphis, I planted Pennisetum "Red Head". It's great!
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Raney10
Original Author
19 years ago
Thanks Sissy, but I wanted something darker than that to contrast with the chartruese.

Donn, the nursery I purchased it from lists P setaceum 'Rubrum'-Purple Fountain
so I imagine that is what they sold me and said it would be hardy to zone 7.
Do you suppose I could w/s this one and get it full grown by summer? I mean next year. Too late for now I guess.

Thanks so much for your help.

Raney
Mary Palmer
19 years ago
THat grass needs massive amounts of light and heat to grow fast (and it will). Not sure what you mean by w/s?? If you can purchase some early in the season and plant them near a sunny hot rock wall or repot them in a larger pot and place them in the hottest sunniest part of your garden. Get it growing strong then move it where you want it and it will get pretty darn big by the end of the season. I would not fertilize them as they will get kind of floppy. I grow this grass almost every year as an annual and wouldn't be without it in the garden. What I have next to my Caryopteris W G is a Cotinus/ purple smoke bush that I coppice every year. I get a lot of strong vertical dark burgandy growth that way. It is not as delicate as the grass but the color is fantastic and the plant is hardy. A grass you might try is Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah'. Check it out on the Plants Delight website. They have a nice photo. Don't expect it to look like the pennisetum, it's different but nice.
Raney10
Original Author
19 years ago
Bamboomary, I have seen P Shenandoah and they are nice but not sure I would like three of them which is what this spot calls for.
What is Cotinus? and I thought I was an experienced gardener but I've never heard of "coppice". Please explain what that is.

W/s is short for winter sowing which is a process of sowing seeds in covered containers
and putting them outside to germinate.
It's my first year and and I can hardly believe the results.
Don't know how to direct link to it but you can go to the Winter Sowing Forum
and click on the FAQ's. It's a really fun forum and a fun thing to do in the winter.

Thanks for your help.

Raney
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
19 years ago
Another choice is Miscanthus 'Purpurascens' but it turns the burgundy color you are looking for late in the season. Purple fountain grass is pretty common a bit later in the season (although for sale now in my climate) and grows so fast and is hard to substitute - I'd just consider buying them as annuals yearly if that is the look you want.

Cotinus coggygria is the botanical name for smokebush, often sold in a purple-leaved form. Coppicing is a method of pruning certain shrubs early each spring to a low woody framework to control size and to accentuate foliage or stem features.
Raney10
Original Author
19 years ago
Thanks Pam. Like they say, one never gets too old to learn. I really needed to learn about coppicing. My DH is building a railroad garden and soon I get to help him landscape it. We have to come up with lots of dwarf plants and ways of keeping things very small. We are going to try Bonsai but now I will also investigate coppicing.

raney
Mary Palmer
19 years ago
Sorry to Raney and thank you to Pam for defining coppice. It is certainly effective for a few shrubs but not for others. I will check out the winter sow forum too. Yes, there is always something more too learn about when it comes to gardening!! That keeps it fun and exciting!

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