Pennisetum glaucum Purple Majesty

The Pennisetum Glaucum 'Purple Majesty' or pearl millet is a tall annual grass that becomes dark purple, almost black, in the sun. The young, bright green shoots with red veins darken as the season progresses.

The Pennisetum Glaucum is an herbaceous annual belonging to the Poaceae family - formerly known as grasses - cultivated in the Sahel, India, or Pakistan to be consumed as a staple food. The seeds produced are also called little millet in contrast to the great millet: sorghum. It is the most cultivated variety in the world and dominates where no other cereal crop grows.

Its clump is very compact. The foliage is upright and, when young, is tinged with bright green and red veins. The long, narrow, ribbon-like leaves darken gradually until they become entirely dark purple, almost black. The Pennisetum Glaucum 'Purple Majesty' is a tall variety that reaches a height of 1.50 to 2 m (5 to 7ft) in one season. The flower head is a long paniculate or false spike of 20 cm (8in) called a candle, with beige-pink glumes in summer and tiny white, grey, or yellow seeds resembling sweetmeat pearls, which earned it one of its nicknames.

It will offer you the most beautiful spikes and its most beautiful silhouette in dry, sandy, and poor soil in a hot and dry situation. Under these conditions, it will also show you its prettiest purple because its colour directly depends on the intensity of light it receives. Play with contrasts by associating it with plants with grey or blue leaves, such as Lygeum spartum, or match it with flowers in fresh colours that have the same inclinations for heat and drought, such as Sedum Frosty Morn with its sorbet colours or Pennisetum macrourum with its pinkish plumes. Its structuring aspect should be considered, whether alone or in a mass. In a small garden, it can serve as a hedge: you will enjoy its height without worrying about excessive width. As a plant with a notable architectural shape, it can easily create clear boundaries between different garden areas. Additionally, this Pennisetum has the advantage of controlling soil erosion thanks to its root system.

You can easily collect the seeds of this tall annual to reproduce your sowings the following year. Collect them before the first frosts, as they do not withstand them. However, you can keep one or more of these beautiful purple spikes as ornaments for the winter. Moreover, you will make birds happy.