Description

With one-of-a-kind flowers and form, Pennisetum frutescens is a favorite flowering accent of ours.

The sturdy evergreen blue-green stems are segmented with short leaves coming off the stems at each segment and airy tan flowers that rise 10-12 inches above the foliage. In the fall, the leaves turn yellow, making a brilliant fall show, and drop from the evergreen stems to create a see-through curtain of stems.

We used this at Disney's Animal Kingdom in the elephant containment. It persisted through elephant feeding as the stems detached from the base, allowing the plant to regenerate instead of being pulled out by bored elephants, but you don't need to be an elephant to appreciate this grass.