Pennisetum 'Black Beauty'
"Black fountain grass"
Orders placed until 29 February 2025
You can expect your order in February/March 2025
Orders placed 1 March - 15 April 2025
You can expect your order in March/April 2025
Orders placed 16 April - 15 May 2025
You can expect your order within 10 business days
UK orders over £50
Free shipping
UK orders under £50
£4.99
Northern Ireland orders under £50
£5.99
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Description
Happiness is a haze of fluffy flowers and Pennisetum 'Black Beauty' brings a bounty of it, combining contemporary style with buoyant fun. With flowers like sooty-looking kitten tails, this black fountain grass will introduce a playful movement to your planting scheme as its stems swish with carefree jollity in the breeze. Frizzy, grey-black flowers are produced on multiple stems once this plant is established, in late summer forming a misty cumulous like little thunderclouds. The display of Pennisetum 'Black Beauty' is airy and soft and this translucent, dim haze provides a contrasting texture and backdrop which will illuminate neighbouring flowers.
Fountain grass likes to be grown in areas with sandy, stony or poor, free-draining soil. Find a sunny spot for Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Black Beauty', either in pots, borders or a gravel area for best results. This perennial is really well suited to coastal gardens in areas where temperatures are unlikely to fall below around -5°C in winter. It’s not entirely winter hardy but it can tolerate some frost—in areas with colder winters you can grow Pennisetum 'Black Beauty' in pots and move them under cover during cold snaps in winter. Try combining this late summer flowering ornamental grass with something bright for contrast, such as Echinacea 'Evolution Colorific' or Verbena 'Lollipop'.
Key features
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Good for cutting
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Comes back every year
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Attractive to wildlife
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In peat-free compost
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Low maintenance
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Drought tolerant
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May need winter cover
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Rodent resistant
Specs & details
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Botanical name
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Black Beauty'
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Flower colour
Black, grey
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Plant size
3/5
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Established height
30-50cm
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Established spread
30-50cm
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Plant spacing
5 plants per m2
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Leaf colour
Green
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Habit
Upright
Clump-forming -
Life cycle
Perennial
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Hardiness
Half hardy
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Years to establish
2-3 years
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Sunlight
Full sun
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Position
Sheltered
Exposed -
Suitable for
Borders
Coastal gardens
Cottage gardens
Gravel gardens
Large containers
Low maintenance gardens
Cut flower gardens
Wildlife gardens -
Soil acidity
Any
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Soil moisture
Free draining
Dry -
Soil type
Loam
Sandy
Loam-based compost
Multipurpose compost
Stony -
Growing skill
Easy to grow
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Scented
No
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Pollinator-friendly
No
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Mouse resistant
Yes
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Rabbit resistant
Yes
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Deer resistant
Yes
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Toxicity
No report
Plant calendar
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- Planting
- Flowering
Useful information
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Soak the Pennisetum 'Black Beauty' roots in water for 3-6 hours prior to planting
Plant your "Black fountain grass" bare roots into temporary pots with a multipurpose compost in spring and grow-on in a sheltered spot outdoors
Choose a pot which comfortably fits the bare roots. Some have a noticeable crown which should be just below the soil surface with any top growth exposed. Some varieties are a length of root which should be planted lengthways and shallowly (1-2cm deep).
Plant out into borders or permanent containers in late spring or early summer once in full growth. Choose a position in sun or shade depending on the variety.
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Orders placed until 29 February 2025
You can expect your order in February/March 2025Orders placed 1 March - 15 April 2025
You can expect your order in March/April 2025Orders placed 16 April - 15 May 2025
You can expect your order within 10 business days
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