Ladies and gents, how would you like a fool-proof plant combo that requires virtually no upkeep and comes back bigger and better each and every year?
I give you Fountain Grass and Joe Pye Weed.
Or for those of you who dabble in plant snobbery like I do, I give you Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ and Eupatorium maculatum ‘Gateway’.
If you’ve been here before, you know that I’ve written about Joe Pye Weed like 3,218 times in the past because it is that phenomenal. If you’d like to read up on the specifics of this perennial, check out the following before proceeding.
And know I love it most for this.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk some Fountain Grass:
- Size: 2.5 x 2.5
- Zone : 5-9
- Bloom: August – October
- Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Moisture: Medium to wet
Like almost all other ornamental grasses, Pennisetum is deer resistant.
It’s a warm season grass meaning it won’t start putting out new growth until the soil temps warm up in mid to late spring.
‘Hameln’ is a smaller Pennisetum cultivar maxing out at no more than 3′ high and 3′ wide. It can easily fit into any-sized garden.
The beauty of both ‘Hameln’ and ‘Gateway’ is that they can both be easily found at almost any nursery or garden center.
When these two are first blooming in August, they look tremendous together.
And still great a month later in September.
Maybe it’s an acquired taste, but I still love this combo in November.
The bottlebrush-like blooms of Pennisetum contrast nicely with the Joe Pye Weed flowers.
The only maintenance required for both is to cut them to the ground in late winter each year.
That’s it.
