Fountain grass is a mounding, clumping herbaceous grass in the Poaceae family that grows 2-4' tall and is normally grown as an annual. This plant starts blooming in summer and those flowers last until frost attracting birds. This plant prefers full sun to partial shade in a wide range of soil conditions. It grows well in arid environments being quite drought tolerant and is also resistant to browsing by deer. It propagates readily through self-seeding. This plant is utilized as a bedding plant, in bed backgrounds, in borders, and in fresh flower arrangements. Typically, the reddish-purple cultivars are used for color accents in the landscape. Quick ID Hints: Clumping grass with burgundy to reddish-purple leaves Inflorescence a bottlebrush raceme of spiklelets Spiklelet reddish-purple, plumosely awned Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Weedy and spreads readily by seeds. Considered invasive in some southern west coast states
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect; Mounding
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Sheath
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are rigid, linear, sheathing, scabrous, often burgundy to reddish-purple in color, and up to 1' long.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Flower value
Good Cut; Showy
Flower form
Spike
Flower size
> 6 inches
Flower detail
Inflorescence if a terminal, elongated raceme of spiklets resembling a bottlebrush that is reddish-purple in color. Spiklets are 1-3 flowered, awned, and awns are plumose basally.