Illustration
Fountain Grass
Pennisetum alopecuroides
Fountain Grass blooms from August through October.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Fountain Grass
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 6–9. Expect it to reach about 3.5 ft tall and 3.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (a house reading).
Pets
- No toxic listing found for dogs and cats in the sources we check.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
No toxicity note is on file for Fountain Grass. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Fountain Grass
Plant Fountain Grass in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 6 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from August to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Fountain Grass get?
3.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult3.5 ftwideSee Fountain Grass in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Fountain Grass
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Fountain Grass about 3.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Fountain Grass to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Fountain Grass' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 10 published sources on October 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Extensionhardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- wilsonnurseries.comWilson Nurseriesheight, spread, water and bloom months and color
- ag.missouristate.eduMissouri State Universitywater and bloom months and color
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Finderheight and sun
- Chicago Botanic Gardenbloom months and color
- extension.missouri.eduUniversity of Missouri Extensionheight and sun
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societysun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 3 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
Across the group, bloom runs from July through October: Purple Fountain Grass opens first (July) and Fountain Grass is the last to finish (October).
Compare every color in the Fountain Grass group
Every figure is the color's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Name | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fountainthis page | Pink | Aug–Oct | Zones 6–9 | Full sun | 3.5 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Little Bunny | White | Aug–Oct | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 12 in × 20 in |
| Moudry (Black Fountain Grass) | Purple | Aug–Oct | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 3.5 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Purple | Pink | Jul–Oct | Zones 9–11 | Full sun | 4 ft × 3 ft |
Good to know about Fountain Grass
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
The 'invasive fountain grass' reputation mostly belongs to a different plant: tender purple Pennisetum setaceum. The hardy clumping Chinese species is a milder, climate-dependent self-seeder. per UC Riverside and PlantRight
Invasive in mild climates
In warm, mild-winter regions it self-seeds and escapes, and some states flag it invasive; in cold-winter gardens Wisconsin says it never becomes invasive. Check your local list. per Clemson and Wisconsin
Cold hardiness varies by cultivar
NC State rates the species zones 6a to 9b, but Wisconsin calls it hardy to zone 4 or 5. In zones 4 to 5, pick a cold-proven cultivar. per NC State and Wisconsin
Cut back in late winter
It greens up late in spring, so cut old foliage back to a few inches (about 8 to 15 cm) in late winter or early spring, before new shoots emerge. per NC State and Wisconsin
Deer and rabbit resistant
Highly resistant to deer grazing and generally left alone by rabbits; NC State also lists resistance to drought and salt. Very hungry deer may still sample it. per NC State and Wisconsin
Late-summer plumes, fall color
Fuzzy, foxtail-like plumes arch on the stems from August to October, shifting from cream or pink to coppery tan; foliage turns orange-bronze in fall and holds tan through winter. per NC State and Clemson
What pairs well with Fountain Grass
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Creeping Phlox
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
White Clover
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; low at 4 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Leadplant
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; lower at 2.5 ft, for the front of the border.
Chick Charms Berry Blues Hens & Chicks
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in midsummer, before this one opens; low at 4 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Thyme
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Bachelor's Button
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; lower at 2.5 ft, for the front of the border.
Crocus
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late winter, extending the bed's season; low at 4 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Toyon
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; taller at 13 ft, for the layer behind it.
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