Spring is the perfect time to plant an all-season garden plant that will see you throughout the year, bringing color, joy and – with this selection – tactile beauty and gentle movement.
The plant I chose for this project is an ornamental grass called Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’. And it’s absolutely amazing. Commonly known as Chinese fountain grass, purple fountain grass or plume grass, it is a glossy warm season specimen with blue foliage topped with soft brush flowers in toning buff and claret.
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Why You’ll Love Purple Fountain Grass
Beautiful in both color and form, purple fountain grass is one of my favorites to use in warm, sheltered backyards, bringing movement and excitement from spring until the first frost of the year. It is the go-to when landscaping with ornamental grass.
In the spring its new shoots appear a rich dark red, at first they are glossy green. These grow tall at maturity, eventually reaching 5ft (1.5m), when topped with those distinctive pink flower feathers.
You can buy purple fountain grass at Fast Growing Trees
As summer turns to fall, those touchable drill rods slowly fade to a pale biscuit color.
Purple fountain grass is a hardy perennial, which means outside of USDA Zones 9-11 you’re probably best off growing it as an annual, or keeping it in containers that you can bring to a frost-free location in the winter.
That said, it does well both in my sheltered west-facing border and in a pot on my west-facing balcony, where winter temperatures stay reliably above (23°F) -5°C.
Purple fountain grass enjoys a well-drained, well-drained, but rich but not fertile, clay soil. Fortunately, this won’t be a problem if you’re growing it in a container, where you can give it the sharp flow it needs to work best.
Buy purple fountain grass at Best Growing Trees
Check Before Planting
A word of caution before planting purple fountain grass. This ornamental grass is considered invasive in some US states, including Florida, California, Virginia, Hawaii and Maryland, and its cultivation is restricted.
Importantly, it is also considered a fire hazard because it can burn very badly.
The cultivar ‘Rubrum’ we are talking about is generally considered more aggressive than P. cetaceum species, however it can still replant and invade surrounding areas.
It is a good practice to check your local service, and the US Invasive Plant Atlas, before planting.
Choose Your Container
The first consideration when choosing the right pot for purple fountain grass is drainage. Drainage pits at the bottom are important, as without them this grass will turn sour and sour. If your must-have container doesn’t have drainage holes, you can always drill some – just remember to cover the area with masking tape first to stop the pot cracking.
Also make sure you choose a planter that has plenty of room for these grasses to reach their final size and spread. It can grow to around 1.5m tall and 1.2m in spread, although a container will obviously contain that growth so it may reach around 3ft (90cm).
However, you’ll need something open, at least 16in (40cm) wide and up to twice that deep so it doesn’t end up looking top-heavy. Try this glossy Opus Terrazzo planter from Wayfair or the 19in tall dark gray concrete planter, also from Wayfair, for a modern look.
Being a compact, rounded plant, I’m of the opinion that a curved pot will get rid of your purple fountain grass in a beneficial way. So an urn, goblet or vase style design would look great.
The Barnacle Egg Planter from Anthropologie is a stunning choice as is Anthropologie’s Seaside Urn – get a pair either side of the stairs leading up to your front door.
Then it’s really up to you whether you choose terracotta, glazed ceramic, wood or metal for your bowl. Complementary color can complement your purple fountain lawn to perfection: pinks, purples and chocolate tones can work well.
Next, Fill It With Compost
I’m of the opinion that ornamental grass is one of the best and most under-maintained solutions for a hot, dry environment – whether that’s in a flower border in the backyard or in a container.
Those sturdy trunks infused with late-season color bring movement and beauty for months on end.
What most of them need for a good start and healthy growth – and purple fountain grass is no exception – is a rich, moist compost.
So, choose a good loam-free option mixed with a multipurpose peat-free compost or other compost for your garden if you have it. It is important to remember that if your container is large, you can fill the bottom of a large planter without compost to keep costs down.
Spring is a good time to plant warm-season grasses like purple fountain grass. As always, soak your new plant in a bucket of water for an hour before planting. Then tease the rootball if it is tied at all. Next, plant in the center of your container, firm it up gently, and give it a really good soaking.
Finally, for a more polished look, I like a well-considered stone mulch over potted compost, especially if I’m planting a single specimen plant in a container like this.
Anything pale pink will set off your purple fountain lawn to perfection. There are huge benefits to covering tree holes: it will also help your pot retain moisture and prevent weeds from setting seed.
Buy Rain Forest Red Stones at Home Depot
Caring for Your Purple Fountain Lawn
Low maintenance grass is a joy. And the purple grass of the fountain is definitely in this section. I love that you can leave it pretty much all year round with a little in the way of love and attention and it will return with color and beauty regardless.
If you are learning how to plant grass, always check the moisture levels with the purple fountain grass in the pot. Water well and deeply when the top couple of inches of soil is dry.
If you live in a frost-free area, you can keep your container outside during the winter. If not, put it in a greenhouse or other light, but frost-free place until the weather warms up again next spring.
Then you will just need to reduce it in early spring to a lower level. New shoots will begin to appear below. It’s pretty simple, isn’t it?
What to Plant Next to a Purple Fountain Lawn
While I’ll be the first to admit that a beautiful container planted with a healthy specimen of purple fountain grass needs nothing to shine and take center stage, there may be times when extra color and texture can be horned in.
If your fountain grass needs time to fill its pot, then a few carefully selected plants around the edges make sense. Try temporarily filling in with smaller grasses such as Mexican feather grass to continue the theme in the same way.
Or, ditch the rich late summer colors of purple grass and choose pink and purple toned companions like begonias, heucheras and violas. Slow-growing dahlias work well too, as do the foamy pinka and white daisy flowers of the Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus).
Buy heucheras/coral bells at Nature Hills Nursery
Buy ornamental grasses at Nature Hills Nursery
I’ve found that if you’re after an all-season garden container, then ornamental grass is as close to perfect as you can get. Many of them, including purple fountain grass, flower in summer, then continue, subtly changing color into fall and beyond. They also hold on to those beautiful seed heads over the winter.
Planting any container is a surefire way to brighten up your world. And if it’s as simple as adding purple grass to a favorite pot, there’s no excuse not to try.