Pennisetum 'Red Head'
"Fountain grass"
Orders placed until 29 February 2025
You can expect your order in February/March 2025
Orders placed 1 March - 15 April 2025
You can expect your order in March/April 2025
Orders placed 16 April - 15 May 2025
You can expect your order within 10 business days
UK orders over £50
Free shipping
UK orders under £50
£4.99
Northern Ireland orders under £50
£5.99
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Description
Pennisetum 'Red Head' is one of the most beautiful forms of Pennisetum, or Chinese fountain grass. And, along with its sibling, P. 'Hameln', deserves a place in any garden. It’s a gorgeous, clump-forming grass with gracefully arching, narrow, deep green leaves. These turn gold in autumn, and then buff in winter.
Some people grow it just for its foliage—but there are flowers, too! Striking smoky, pink-red, bottlebrush-like flowers, resembling foxtails, are produced from mid- to late summer; Pennisetum 'Red Head' is one of the first of the ornamental grasses to bloom. In the autumn, these flowers turn brownish, and they stay in place for many months, lasting well throughout winter. But you can cut them; they make excellent cut flowers for fresh or dried arrangements.
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Red Head' is most impressive when planted en masse, but it’s also useful as a specimen accent plant, either in the garden border or in a patio pot.
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Red Head' is so highly regarded that the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has awarded it the coveted Award of Garden Merit.
Pennisetum is an important forage in the tropics due to its high productivity. It is particularly used to feed cattle and buffaloes.
Key features
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Good for cutting
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Comes back every year
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Attractive to wildlife
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In peat-free compost
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Low maintenance
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Drought tolerant
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May need winter cover
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Rodent resistant
Specs & details
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Botanical name
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Red Head'
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Flower colour
Red, pink, green
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Plant size
3/5
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Established height
70cm-1m
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Established spread
70cm-1m
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Plant spacing
5 plants per m2
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Leaf colour
Green
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Habit
Upright
Clump-forming -
Life cycle
Perennial
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Hardiness
Half hardy
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Years to establish
2-3 years
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Sunlight
Full sun
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Position
Sheltered
Exposed -
Suitable for
Borders
Coastal gardens
Cottage gardens
Gravel gardens
Large containers
Low maintenance gardens
Cut flower gardens
Wildlife gardens -
Soil acidity
Any
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Soil moisture
Free draining
Dry -
Soil type
Loam
Sandy
Loam-based compost
Multipurpose compost
Stony -
Growing skill
Easy to grow
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Scented
No
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Pollinator-friendly
No
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Mouse resistant
Yes
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Rabbit resistant
Yes
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Deer resistant
Yes
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Toxicity
No report
Plant calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- Planting
- Flowering
Useful information
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Soak the Pennisetum 'Red Head' roots in water for 3-6 hours prior to planting
Plant your "Fountain grass" bare roots into temporary pots with a multipurpose compost in spring and grow-on in a sheltered spot outdoors
Choose a pot which comfortably fits the bare roots. Some have a noticeable crown which should be just below the soil surface with any top growth exposed. Some varieties are a length of root which should be planted lengthways and shallowly (1-2cm deep).
Plant out into borders or permanent containers in late spring or early summer once in full growth. Choose a position in sun or shade depending on the variety.
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Orders placed until 29 February 2025
You can expect your order in February/March 2025Orders placed 1 March - 15 April 2025
You can expect your order in March/April 2025Orders placed 16 April - 15 May 2025
You can expect your order within 10 business days
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