Dwarf Purple Fountain Grass

Dwarf Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum Dwarf') is the compact burgundy grass that gives a flat garden bed some movement. It forms a neat clump about 60cm tall and 60cm wide, topped through the warm months with soft pink to purple plumes that catch low afternoon light. It is fast, drought tolerant, and asks for nothing beyond one cut a year.

Why you'll love it

• Burgundy foliage, not just flowers. The colour sits in the leaf, so the clump holds its tone from spring through autumn.
• The right size for a border. At 60cm each way it edges a path or fronts a bed without swamping the plants behind it.
• Built for hot, dry and salty positions. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant and salt tolerant, so a coastal bed or a hot western wall suits it.
• Fast to fill in. A tube planted in spring is a full clump by the following autumn, which is what makes mass planting affordable.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 50cm apart in drifts. At that spacing the clumps touch without merging, which gives a mass planting its rhythm instead of a solid mat.

Borders and edging. A single row at 50cm centres along a path reads as a soft ribbon of colour and needs no clipping.

Pots and coastal gardens. Salt tolerance makes it useful in exposed coastal beds, and its compact roots suit a pot 300mm or wider on a hot balcony.

Growing Dwarf Purple Fountain Grass in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, always. Shade turns the burgundy foliage a muddy green and the clump falls open. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens. Light frost is tolerated, though in cool districts the clump browns off over winter and shoots again in spring.

Soil. Free draining soil of almost any type. It is happiest lean and does not want a rich, wet bed. On clay, plant on a low mound so water moves away from the crown.

Water and feed. Water weekly for the first two months, then only through extended dry spells. A light dressing of complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is plenty, since overfeeding produces floppy green growth.

Pruning. Cut the whole clump back to about 100mm in late winter, before new growth starts. That single annual haircut is the entire maintenance program.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock. Tubes arrive as small, well rooted plants with a modest fan of leaves, often greener than the mature colour, which deepens after a few weeks of full sun. Grasses travel well.

Plant into warm soil for the fastest result. From a spring planting you can expect a full sized clump and the first plumes within the same growing season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the grasses and strappy leaf range
• Designing with ornamental grasses
• Other plants suited to mass planting
• Coastal and salt tolerant plants

Common questions

Is this the weedy fountain grass?

No. The green species form is a declared weed in several Australian states, which is why only sterile or near sterile purple selections such as this one should be planted. If you garden near bushland, check your local council list first.

How far apart should I plant it?

Fifty centimetres apart for a mass planting or an edging row. Any tighter and the clumps merge into an undefined mass; any wider and the gaps stay visible.

Why has my plant gone green?

Not enough sun. The burgundy pigment develops in strong light, so a clump in part shade drifts back towards green and loses its upright shape.

Does it survive winter?

In warm gardens it stays evergreen. In cooler areas it takes light frost but browns off, then reshoots from the base once the soil warms. Cut it back before that new growth starts.