‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’) PP18504
This is why I love plants!
Like most mornings I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to our sun room to read and enjoy my coffee. As the sun was coming up I looked outside and through the porch railing I see this spectacular display of red foliage being illuminated by the morning sun at a really interesting angle. I was really taken back by this display of red color and early morning sun so I grabbed my camera and out the door I went. These are the photos that I snapped of the ‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass in my landscape.
‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass
You can see the sun shining brightly through this ‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass. Pam and I were at one of the local nurseries this summer and these beautiful grasses really caught our eye so we bought five and added them to our landscape.
‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass
As I often do, I planted all five of them in an arc in the landscape. However, as I did a little research on this beautiful plant to write this article I learned that they are rated for zones 9a through 11b. On the plant tag no zone information was given. So as beautiful as these are, chances are they will not make through our Ohio, zone 5 winters.
That’s too bad, but I like them so much that I’d buy five new ones next year if I can find them. I’ll treat them much like I would an annual flower here in zone 5.
‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass
So, if you are in a warmer zone you should see if you can find this wonderful ornamental grass. If you are in colder zone you could plant them and treat them like an annual as I will do, should I be able to find them again next spring.
Why would any of us have trouble finding them? Because they are patented and you can’t just propagate them at will like you would many other plants. So that usually makes them a little more difficult to find because growers have to buy the small plants from a wholesale grower who is licensed to grow them. So that limits the number of wholesale growers who actually have them on hand to sell.
How do you know which plants are patented and which are not? Patented plants will have the plant patent information right on the plant tag like this; ‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’) PP18504. And somewhere on the tag it will say “Propagation Strictly Prohibited”.
In my Growing System, “Small Plants, Big Profits from Home” I explain in great detail about patented plants, what plants you are free to propagate, and where you can buy patented plants at really low prices to grow on and resell at a nice profit. Anybody can grow and sell a patented plant as long as they purchase the small plant known as a liner from a wholesale grower who is licensed to grow and sell that plant. At that point of sale the plant royalty is paid. It’s just that you cannot reproduce the plants that you buy. You can pot them up, grow them to a larger size and sell them at a profit. The royalties on patented plants are not that much, maybe 50 cents or a dollar. Some are even less than that!
However, don’t think for a minute that all of the good plants are patented. Nothing could be further from the truth! There are hundreds and hundreds of plants that you are free to propagate to your hearts desire. I’ve grown and sold thousands and thousands of non patented plants and the people just love them!
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‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass grows in zones 9a through 11b. It really needs full sun to look it’s best and will grow in variety of different soils. It grows to a height of 24″ to 30″ and for the most part is considered an annual, not a perennial.
Lovely, but ….
If you are in its growing zones (Zone 9-11), check with your local ag agent/urban ag advisor before planting. Not sure re: “Firecracker”, but Purple Fountain Grass is an invasive specie here in San Diego– a pest in our many wild canyons/parks which is costing a lot of time, effort, and $$$ to remove.
A lot of people put it, and other exotic grasses, in as “water wise” xeriscaping to replace lawns, but like an unruly house guest, it is no longer welcome. Like Golden Bamboo, Korean Bump Grass, and Pampas Grass, it is difficult to evict once established.
Good morning Mike.
I would love to know how your flower beds look so clean cut around the edges. It looks like the grass is higher than the beds how do you do this can you do a video on this and send it to me. The fire grass looks amazing.
Holly, see this; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcSicWAwiXg
Hi Mike,
I was out to visit your nursery a couple months back, and came back with 6 amazing plants.
I am finally starting to plan my front beds which are finally getting done soon.
I want to make this almost all perennials, but I don’t get much sun at all in the front. Late day partial sun in the summer only, I will be out to visit for some ideas as I don’t want to do just hostas, although I love them, I need some variety. Any suggestions you have would be appreciated so that when I come out, I can look at the items which would fit. Looking for different colors/textures to add interest. As always, thank you for your advice
Kathleen,
We have a section of shade plants, mostly perennials. Astilbe, Jack Frost Brunnera and more.
Fellaris grass pardon my spelling can be a hoot too. Where are you located? Have a plant list?
Mike – I buy this (usually listed as Purple Fountain here in Louisville) every year. Great in the sun and can water the first week of planting and then it’s on its own. Hardly ever have to hand water the rest of the year. Usually buy at Lowe’s but this year found at Rural King as Lowe’s was late getting ten. Great plant, I usually plant some by the mailbox.
All great comments here. But as far as using them for personal use. Patent/prohibit against personal use only is just as useful as the other laws still in the ohio law books. Here’s what else is illegal in ohio:
-it’s illegal to catch mice without a hunting license in cleveland
-it’s illegal to get a fish drunk
-it’s illegal to throw a snake at anybody in toldeo
-in columbus it’s illgeal to sell cornflakes on sunday
Too funny! One has to wonder why those laws ever made it on the books!
Thanks for the beautiful pictures of the fireworks grasses, Mike! I love this page!
the plant patent law is NOT just an Ohio law.
Thanks Mike! Loved the photo and love the grass. Since I’m getting older I’m looking for something that will tolerate our cold. I tried the fountain grass. I loved it. But in zone 7 we got a really long freezing rain and snow that year. It even killed all my banana trees. I had to get some from a friend that I had given banana trees to the year before. That being said. I’ll ask you a question.
Knowing what all you know. We also live with bad soil. We had to have dirt brought in for our food garden. It’s called post oak dirt. Really muddy in the winter and holds that water unless we get some warm days. Do you believe we could try the fountain grass in our front yard. It gets more sunlight than where I had it before. I just don’t want to invest unless I know it will come back. I want to landscape and from there just maintenance. My hubby is not able to help with our yard work. I’m on my own out there. And right now I’m ok with that. It’s my therapy 😂 We’ve been married 45 years.
Debby,
I think the fountain grass would be just fine in your front yard.
hey Mike,
just a quick question. we had an open winter last year, almost no snow, and a lot of the lawns in our town look like they died. mostly brown. or is this just dormant, and will it come back next spring? thanks so much!
Jared,
You must be from “down under” since it’s mid summer here. I think those lawns will come back just fine.
Mike, I need your help. Not about fountain grass, though, which I also have here in Parkersburg, WV!
My 4 year old Crepe Myrtle is alarming me this year. It was very slow to green up, with new shoots from the base. The rest looks dead. this is always the way it looks in winter, not now. I dont think it will even bloom this summer. Do I dare cut back the top? It is a beautiful scarlet/pink! Everyone else in the neighborhood has theirs blooming. Help, please, Mike
Rhena,
Check to see if the top is dead or not. This is how you test to see if a plant, or a branch on a plant has died. Just scratch the bark of your plants with your finger nail. If the tissue below the bark is green and firm your plants are fine. If the tissue is brown and mushy that part of the plant is dead.
Dig them up after the first frost, trim the tops and roots, place in a 5 gal bucket or pots in a basement or protected area, replant in spring
I have some ornamental grass in a corner of my yard. Don’t know the name of it but it is causing me a problem. It seems to have reseeded all over my lawn! How do I get rid of it without starting my lawn over from scratch?
Monica, you would have to dig it out or kill it off. Not too many options.
I have no problem with patented plants that have been developed by someone. I do, however, wonder how someone can find a wild growing plant in their backyard and put a patent on it. How is that even possible?
Barb,
Technically a person should not be able to patent something that was not grown in a cultivated area.
I am loving my fireworks grass too. I want another one but am just now realizing it’s not hardy in my zone. Really kinda bummed now.
Michelle,
Ya know what? It’s worth buying a couple new ones each spring they are so pretty.
I realized the same. The nursery told me it was a perennial 🙁
Kenya,
But it’s an awesome annual. Still worth the money.
What about under winter protection? Cloche, straw piles, that sort of thing.
Allie,
In a cold climate cold permeates most everything. In a whole in the ground covered with a wooden cover, that would likely work.
I have a whole setup in front of my living room window with 6500k LED lighting to overwinter all my tropicals. I am in 6b and some of my tender angels are up to 10b (NO frost) so they go out for the summer and come in every fall. That said, nothing says you can’t take some of your Fireworks grass in as a houseplant, is there? I put my pothos and spiderplants outside for the summer (in a properly shady spot so the sun doesn’t burn them) and they love it….
Great idea Dee.
Your beds look so nice….weed free! What is under your mulch and how much mulch did you put on it? Thank you for all the helpful tips and info. I love your videos too!
There is a difference between propagation and preservation, Particularly with ornamental grasses from warmer latitudes, one can dig them up, trim them, pot them and store in your garage to be brought out and replanted when weather stabilizes above 55/60 F. In certain cases, divission may be necessary to preservation for your own use.
Miguel, my guess is that if you have to divide a patented ornamental grass for preservation the holder of the patent would expect you to throw way the divisions. Just my guess. As a grower who grows for profit I that’s exactly what I would do.
Mike, when a plant is “patent pending”, does that mean you cannot propigate it whatsoever or can you propigate it for your own use, not to sell? I would respect someone’s work and the law as well, but I am just not clear on this. Thanks!
John, nobody but is allowed to propagate a patented plant no matter who you intend to use the off spring. In most cases a plant patent protects the plant against asexual reproduction which means any kind of propagation except seeds. Growing from seed is sexual reproduction. But if you look on plant tags of patented plants most say “propagation prohibited”. They used to say “asexual propagation prohibited”. So . . . I’m not sure why they are not printing the tags as they are. Just to intimidate us, or are the seeds protected? As far as I know they are not and if you search plant patents wikipedia has a pretty good explanation of how it all works.
We as Backyard Growers, there are still thousands of plants that we are free to propagate so that is always our focus. We grow almost all non patented plants, but we also buy some patented plants, pay the royalty at the time of purchase, grow the plants on and sell them.
Ur right Mike. We have these plants in our landscaping at our residence. I would never sell such a plant . There are way to many plants u can divide that don’t have a patented on them. Keep up the GOOD WORK MIKE !!
Tks, Tommy’s Landscaping Nursery
I got 5-6 of these plants from dividing a 1 gal container. When we buy we try and buy plants that are about to bust out of the containers . $$$$
Tommy, just beware that patented plants are protected against propagation. I’m going to write an article that explains this in more detail.
Since I live in Southern CA, they are readily available. And one thing I have noticed, they do reseed. I started with five plants and now the hill they are planted on, I have ten. But, I do have to cut them back, every year. Here they are called Red Fountain Grass. They are quite beautiful.
I have some of this, it does well in containers too, I planted some at the office in a big pot with some hostas and other stuff. I am in zone 7a so i know it probably won’t make it through the winter here.
by the way, i got mine at Lowe’s for $1 each! What a steal!
Thank you for the tip, Debbie. I was ready to start looking for them so I’ll head straight to the local Lowe’s.
How large of a container did you plant in?
Just got this grass a week ago. It was called Purple Fountain here. We’re a little milder here so I’m going to mulch it and try to get it to make it through the winter.
Purple fountain grass is a different variety. Not nearly as showy. fireworks is more hot pink to reddish, and striped.
Oops, forgot to add I’ll probably just have to follow your advice and treat them like annuals. Meanwhile, if you learn of a hardier but similar variety, that would be even better!
it’s gorgeous! I found this last year and had high hopes – unfortunately it didn’t make it through our winter – zone 8, relatively mild but wet winter. If yours does, I’d like to know so I can try again.
Thanks Mike for all your great ideas and recommendations.
This grass is sold all over here in the west as an annual ornamental. It is very popular as a conainer plant, I also think of it the same as I would petunias or any other annual for color. I prefer to grow things like this rather then petunias. There is also a couple of pennisetums that are hardy to zone 5 but they are green until fall and then they start turning red and bronze, and they have the same beautiful blooms! Georgeous! But, you’ll have to google it. Mike, I can’t wait to get your growing system! I’ve already started selling plants!
Donna, that’s great! But . . . if you are selling plants you need my system more than ever. Many people get started without my system only to find out that they made some serious mistakes and have to back track. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
So pretty! You may not be able to propagate them for sale, but perhaps you can dig them up and save them for your own garden next year. I do this with lemongrass, geraniums, and dahlias. (I live in NJ.)
I often saw something similar to this growing wild in a field next to our home in southern Virginia. The colors are really beautiful!
They are absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!
looks pretty much like “purple fountain grass” to me, available at nurseries. like it too. just planted one the summer, looks good with purple cone flowers and gaura
Hmm? Except that purple fountain grass is PURPLE and fireworks grass is a deep red…? Have planted both in the past, & they are two VERY different colors.
Maggie,
This is Fireworks, not Purple Fountain grass. This is red, not purple.
I purchase Purple Fountain Grass every year for my garden. It is definitely always red. I have never seen actual purple colored fountain grass. I would buy that to if I could find it. I will be looking for the one called Fireworks! Thank you Mike for sharing all of your wonderful knowledge with all of us gardner’s.