Images Depict Mature Plants
Fountain Grass
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'
Pennisetum Hameln or Dwarf Fountain Grass is a compact ornamental grass featuring arching dark green foliage and attractive tan-white flower seed heads that persist through winter. Known for its drastic color change, this plant’s foliage turns a vivid copper-bronze color during the fall season. Plant this drought-resistant plant in mass or use for container planting.
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Dwarf Fountain Grass for Sale Online
Pennisetum Hameln is an attractive ornamental grass featuring dark green foliage and pinkish-white flower spikes that persist through winter, providing interest. Its dried flower spikes in winter stand out against the winter sky or freshly fallen snow.
Its green foliage is the perfect plant to use as a specimen or mass planting to provide a bold wave of foliage that moves with the summer breezes. During the mid-simmer, Fountain Grass’s dramatic foliage turns a golden-copper shade and looks excellent compared to green plants.
Dwarf Fountain Grass is ideal for locations where larger grasses cannot grow or would overpower the view. Pennisetum Hameln's compact growth habit and finely textured foliage make this one of the most popular warm-season grasses.
The overall size of the Pennisetum Hameln is easy to blend into a perennial border without overwhelming smaller flowering plants. We recommend planting Dwarf Fountain Grass in full sun and nutrient-rich soil for the best results.
| Hardiness Zone: | 4-11 |
|---|---|
| Mature Height: | 2 to 3 Feet |
| Mature Width: | 2 to 3 Feet |
| Classification: | Warm season ornamental grass |
| Sunlight: | Full sun to part shade |
| Habit: | Clump forming |
| Foliage: | Rich red in spring, turning greenish red in summer |
| Flower Color: | Pinkish white beginning in August |
| Pruning Season: | Cut down to 6 inches in the late winter / early spring |
| Soil Condition: | Prefers average soil, but will tolerate wet soil |
| Water Requirements: | Water well until established |
| Uses: | Drought tolerant, ground cover, rain gardens, will grow under black walnuts, can be used to stabilize soil on slopes |
How to Care for Fountain Grass
Before you buy a Dwarf Fountain Grass plant, make sure to read about the care instructions that are required and recommended to keep this plant healthy and thriving.
How do I mulch Pennisetum Hameln?
We highly recommend that you mulch your Pennisetum Hameln with either a ground hardwood mulch or a ground cypress mulch depending on your local availability. Any type of mulch will do, but cypress or hardwood mulch will be of a higher quality and provide better nutrition overall as they break down. A two to three inch layer of mulch is sufficient, but remember to take care not to cover any part of the stem of the plant with mulch.
How do I water Pennisetum Hameln?
After back-filling and lightly compacting the 50/50 mix of existing soil and compost give the Pennisetum Hameln a good deep watering. You’ll want to water the bushes regularly after planting until they’ve been well established. We like to tell folks that when watering Pennisetum Hameln or any plant for that matter it's best not to water the foliage of the plant. Water at the base of the plant near the soil line only.
How do I fertilize Pennisetum Hameln?
Plants such as Pennisetum Hameln grow best if they are fertilized once in the spring and again in early summer. Pennisetum Hameln favors nutrient rich soil and ample fertilization. When selecting a fertilizer for your Pennisetum Hameln , if soil Ph is not an issue a simple balanced fertilizer can be used such as Espoma Flower-tone. We don’t recommend fertilizing Pennisetum Hameln after August in the North. Fall is the time for Pennisetums to begin preparing for dormancy. For a totally organic approach, many gardeners use commercial manure on the soil around plants such as Pennisetum Hameln. As with chemical fertilizers, do not apply it right next to the trunk or stems emerging from the ground.
How do I plant Dwarf Fountain Grass?
We suggest when planting Dwarf Fountain Grass that you dig a hole twice as wide as the root system, but not deeper. Depending on the quality of your existing soil you may need to add a locally sourced compost or topsoil to the back-fill soil. We do not recommend using straight topsoil or compost as a back-fill soil because more times than not these products will retain entirely too much moisture and will cause the root system to rot.
