Red Fountain Grass Live Plant – Pennisetum Setaceum ‘Rubrum’ Bare Root Starter

Overview

Elevate your outdoor space with a stunning red fountain grass live plant. This ornamental perennial, scientifically known as Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’, is celebrated for its dramatic burgundy foliage and elegant, feathery flower plumes that sway gracefully in the breeze. A single bare root starter plant is all you need to begin transforming your garden into a captivating landscape, infusing it with natural elegance and dynamic movement. This particular variety, ‘Rubrum’, is highly prized for its intense red-purple coloration, which deepens under full sun conditions, making it a focal point in any design. As a ornamental grass perennial, it returns year after year, providing reliable beauty with minimal fuss.

The red fountain grass live plant is an excellent choice for gardeners looking to add unique texture and a rich color palette to their beds, borders, or containers. Its clumping growth habit ensures it maintains a tidy appearance while offering a lush, fountain-like form. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, this plant is also known for its resilience and adaptability, thriving in various garden styles from modern to xeriscape. The soft, pinkish-tan flower spikes that emerge in late summer mature into silvery plumes, extending the plant’s visual interest well into the autumn months, making it a truly versatile and rewarding addition to your garden.

Key Benefits

The red fountain grass live plant offers a multitude of advantages that make it a highly desirable addition to any garden. Its unique characteristics provide both aesthetic appeal and practical benefits, enhancing your outdoor living space.

• Year-Round Visual Interest: Provides continuous beauty with its vibrant burgundy foliage that intensifies in the sun and graceful, feathery plumes that transition from pinkish-tan to silvery hues, ensuring your garden remains captivating through multiple seasons. The striking color of Pennisetum setaceum Rubrum creates a dramatic backdrop.
• Low Maintenance: Once established, this ornamental grass is remarkably drought-tolerant and requires minimal care. It’s perfect for busy gardeners or those seeking an impactful plant without extensive upkeep, making it an ideal choice for a low-effort, high-reward landscape.
• Versatile Design Element: Its clumping growth habit and moderate size make it suitable for a variety of garden applications, including accent plantings, mass displays, borders, and even container gardening. The plumes are also excellent for fresh or dried floral arrangements, bringing garden beauty indoors.
• Adds Texture and Movement: The fine-textured foliage and swaying flower plumes create a dynamic and visually appealing landscape, introducing graceful movement that enhances the overall tranquility and aesthetic of your garden.
• Deer-Resistant: Generally considered deer-resistant, the red fountain grass live plant is a great option for gardens in areas prone to deer, helping to protect your landscape investments.
• Supports Local Ecosystems: While primarily ornamental, its plumes can attract beneficial insects and provide shelter, contributing to a thriving and balanced garden ecosystem.
• Hardy Perennial: As an ornamental grass perennial, it reliably returns year after year, establishing a strong presence in your garden without the need for annual replanting.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your red fountain grass live plant is straightforward, ensuring vibrant growth and abundant plumes with just a few key practices. This hardy ornamental grass perennial thrives with adequate sunlight and well-drained soil. For optimal growth and the most intense burgundy color, plant your Pennisetum setaceum Rubrum in a location that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. Full sun exposure is crucial for the foliage to develop its deep red to purple hues. While it can tolerate some partial shade, the color may not be as rich, and flowering might be reduced. This plant is known for its resilience, making red fountain grass care relatively easy.

When it comes to watering, the red fountain grass live plant prefers well-drained soil and is highly drought-tolerant once established. Water deeply but infrequently, allowing the soil to dry out completely between waterings. Overwatering, especially in poorly draining soil, can lead to root rot. During prolonged dry spells, occasional deep watering will help maintain its vigor. For soil, a sandy loam or loamy soil with good drainage is ideal. It tolerates a range of soil pH levels but thrives best in neutral to slightly acidic conditions. Fertilization is generally not necessary, as this plant performs well in average garden soil without much additional feeding. If your soil is particularly poor, a balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer can be applied in early spring, but avoid excessive nitrogen, which can lead to lush foliage at the expense of flowering. Understanding red fountain grass care is key to its success.

Pruning is essential for maintaining the health and appearance of your red fountain grass live plant. The best time to prune is in late winter or early spring, just before new growth begins. Cut back the old, dried foliage to a few inches above the ground. This encourages fresh, vigorous shoots and a tidy, attractive form for the upcoming growing season. This plant is generally pest and disease resistant, contributing to its low-maintenance appeal. It is hardy in USDA Zones 9 to 11, meaning it can be grown as a perennial in warmer climates and often as an annual in colder regions where temperatures drop below freezing. If you’re looking for a low-effort, high-impact plant, consider this robust bare root fountain grass.

Size & Details

Your red fountain grass live plant will arrive as a bare root starter, ready for planting to establish quickly in your garden. This beautiful ornamental grass typically reaches a mature height of 3 to 4 feet with a similar spread, forming a lush, fountain-like appearance that makes a significant statement in any landscape. Its clumping growth habit ensures it maintains a distinct form, making it an excellent choice for accent plantings or mass displays. The deep red to purple leaves are a consistent feature, intensifying in color when exposed to full sun.

In late summer to early fall, soft pinkish-tan flower spikes emerge, gracefully arching above the foliage. These plumes mature to a silvery hue, providing extended visual interest into the cooler months. The growth rate is moderate, allowing you to enjoy a substantial plant within its first few seasons. This bare root fountain grass offers an economical and effective way to introduce this stunning perennial to your garden, establishing strong roots for long-term health and vibrant display. Expect robust growth and dramatic color from this resilient Pennisetum setaceum Rubrum.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big will my red fountain grass live plant get? A: A: Typically, red fountain grass live plant grows to a height of 3 to 4 feet with a similar spread, forming a beautiful, fountain-like shape. This makes it a substantial and eye-catching addition to your garden, providing significant visual impact.
• Q: What are the sunlight requirements for Pennisetum setaceum Rubrum? A: This ornamental grass thrives in full sun, needing at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day for optimal growth and to ensure its vibrant burgundy color is as intense as possible. Adequate sunlight is key to proper red fountain grass care.
• Q: How often should I water my bare root fountain grass? A: Once established, bare root fountain grass is drought-tolerant. Water deeply but infrequently, allowing the soil to dry out completely between waterings. More frequent watering may be necessary during prolonged dry periods, especially during its establishment phase.
• Q: Is red fountain grass live plant considered deer-resistant? A: Yes, red fountain grass live plant is generally considered deer-resistant, making it an excellent choice for gardens located in areas where deer populations might be a concern. Deer tend to avoid this plant, allowing it to flourish undisturbed.
• Q: When is the best time to plant a red fountain grass live plant? A: The best time to plant a red fountain grass live plant is typically in spring after the last frost, or in early fall. This allows the plant sufficient time to establish its root system before extreme weather conditions.
• Q: What kind of soil does ornamental grass perennial prefer? A: This ornamental grass perennial prefers well-drained soil. It can tolerate a variety of soil types, including sandy or loamy soils, as long as they do not retain too much moisture, which can lead to root issues.
• Q: Can I grow red fountain grass live plant in a container? A: Yes, red fountain grass live plant can be successfully grown in containers. Choose a large pot with good drainage to accommodate its mature size and root system, and ensure it receives plenty of sunlight.
• Q: How long until I see significant growth from my bare root fountain grass? A: With proper care and planting, you should see significant new growth from your bare root fountain grass within the first growing season. It establishes quickly and will begin to form its characteristic fountain shape.