Pennisetum Fireworks - Fountain Grass
Pennisetum Fireworks is a lively version of a garden favorite. Pennisetum setaceum rubrum is a dark red. Pennisetum Cherry Sparkler is another variegated cultivar with more longer lasting white in the new growth. Pennisetum Fireworks mixes very well with gray plants. The blades of this grass are nearly white inside and darken quickly to pink and eventually purple with green stripes. I cut the Fireworks Fountain Grass each winter nearly to the ground. This removes the dead material that can detract from the plants and provides a fresh appearance. Pennisetum Fireworks is a dwarf compared to the Red Fountain Grass, capping out at 2-3 feet. Pennisetum Fireworks is reliably hardy into the mid-twenties. I have had problems with the species Pennisetum setaceum, Fountain Grass becoming a weed in too many settings. Pennisetum setaceum is on many a noxious weed list. But the cultivars including Fireworks Fountain Grass are not nearly so fertile.
Variegated foliage of Pennisetum Fireworks - Fountain Grass. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.
Other plants from the Genus Pennisetum featured on this site:
Pennisetum Cherry Sparkler
Pennisetum setaceum rubrum