Dwarf Fountain Grass

• Dwarf fountain grasses grow only 2 to 3 feet tall. Little Bunny produces great quantities of flower plumes that look like small, cream-colored rabbits' feet. Hameln begins putting out its spikes of white plumes in August. The plants grow well in zones 5 through 8. Dwarf fountain grasses make beautiful borders in the garden or along a pathway or sidewalk. Try planting them in containers around a porch or patio for year-long interest.
  
  

Ornamental Millet

• Pennisetum glaucum is a dark plant with dark plumes that can grow to 6 feet tall. The plant has burgundy foliage and produces interesting, purplish-brown flowers from summer to fall that resemble cattails. Although this grass is an annual in cooler climates, it can overwinter successfully in the Deep South, where freezing temperatures are not a problem. Purple Baron is a small, compact plant, while Purple Majesty grows to 5 feet tall. Jester has swordlike leaves of purple and chartreuse green with ramrod-straight flower stalks.
  
  

Purple Fountain Grass

• Grown as an annual in colder regions, Pennisetum setaceum is a native of Africa. Purple fountain grass is a semi-evergreen cultivar that grows 2 to 4 feet tall and spreads 2 to 4 feet. From summer to fall, this mounding plant produces pinkish or cream-colored plumes on stalks rising about a foot above the foliage. The plant may die in temperatures below freezing.
  
  

Red Fountain Grass

• Red fountain grass gets its name from its foliage color, rather than from the color of its flowers. Hardy in zones 10 and 11, red fountain grass can be cut back in winter for fresh, new growth in spring. Wherever red fountain grass is labeled an annual, you can grow it in containers outdoors if you bring it inside for the winter. Burgundy Giant has red foliage and grows up to 5 feet high, perfect for a stunning background, screen or specimen plant. Rubrum, a widely available cultivar, has purplish-red foliage and grows to about 4 feet tall. Compactum red fountain grass features pink plumes and only grows to a little more than a foot tall. Its small, mounding form makes Compactum an excellent plant for containers or rock gardens.