Graceful Grasses® Sky Rocket Fountain Grass

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

2-2.5 Feet

Mature Spread

16-20 Inches

Growing Zones

9 to 11

Sky Rocket is an annual fountain grass, and in fall you'll be especially taken by its striking texture and movement when a breeze comes along. Beautiful in the landscape, or containers, or both!

Ornamental grasses get less attention than flowering annuals, but not so with Pennisetum Sky Rocket (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’). This pretty fountain grass stands out as a container thriller or landscape plant with green and white striped foliage and pink “flowers” at the end of summer or into fall. The award-winning grass tolerates summer heat and provides fall interest, holding its seed heads for a long time before the plant browns in winter.

A warm-season grass, Pennisetum Sky Rocket is an annual in all but the warmest zones temperatures no lower than 15 degrees). It reaches nearly 30 inches high and 20 inches around. The leaves grow upright and flower plumes appear above the blades, producing a fountain effect. It’s a perfect large container thriller, surrounded by low-growing flowers or grasses. Or place several in the landscape, especially in rock gardens and other natural areas. Line up several pennisetums for a border look along slopes or garden beds.

Graceful Grasses® Sky Rocket Fountain Grass Care

Plant your Pennisetum in full sun in spring after the danger of frost has passed. Place the plant so its root ball is at or slightly above the soil level. The plant requires average soil and watering. If the soil is fairly fertile and drains well, there is no need to add anything to the soil or to fertilize. For container-grown grasses, be sure to avoid watering if the container soil feels wet.

As an annual, your Pennisetum needs little care and no trimming. Gardeners can pull up the grass if it is brown and unattractive after frost or leave it until spring and then pull up and replace it. If growing the grass as a perennial, it is best to trim the grass in mid-to late spring. Gardeners can trim perennial Pennisetum in fall if desired.

Graceful Grasses® Sky Rocket Fountain Grass Spacing

Give container-grown Pennisetum plenty of room to grow, and place low-growing plants only before it to get the full effect of the pretty grass. For group plantings or border effects, space the plants 16 to 20 inches apart.

SKU:

PENSR