Pennisetum massaicum Red Button - African feather Grass

The Pennisetum massaicum 'Red Button', originating from an African Fountain Grass, is a relatively rare perennial grass, appreciated for its beautiful dark red flowering, earlier than usual varieties. This 'grass' with a dense, upright habit and modest size, chooses the end of spring to adorn itself with small upright plumes, ranging from silver pink to deep purple, emerging from a tuft of fresh green foliage. Relatively hardy, it tolerates all well-drained soils, even dry ones in summer, prefers a sunny position but tolerates partial shade. Colourful, amusing and highly decorative, it can be used in borders and an annual in flower pots.

The Pennisetum massaicum is a non-invasive, non-spreading rhizomatous grass originating from African savannas, from the south of North Africa to the north of Eastern tropical Africa and up to Somalia. It belongs to the large family of Poaceae. The red plume grass 'Red Button', from which it descends, forms a beautiful bunch of leaves and spikes, reaching a height of 80 cm (32in) when flowering and a width of about 60 cm (24in). The foliage will persist more or less in mild climates but dry out everywhere in winter. The basal tuft comprises flat, thin, long, slightly rigid leaves of beautiful light and vivid green. The flowering culms, tinted with purple, emerge from the vegetation in June-July depending on the climate, sometimes as early as the end of May, bearing flower heads composed of spikelets with large bristles, gathered in small red rabbit tails, 4 to 5 cm (2in) long, animated by the breeze. Their colour evolves from silver-pink in summer to deep purple in August before fading to a beige tone. The plant remains decorative for part of the winter, covering the remnants of its entirely beige vegetation with frost. Its stump will withstand short frosts of around -12/15°C in well-drained soil under a protective mulch.

This unusual variety also expresses its delicacy by slipping among the slightly rigid perennials such as dahlias, red hot pokers or Russian sages. It brings an extra touch of grace to any landscape, including terrace decor. It can also be planted en masse to border a pathway. The small red 'rabbit tails' of 'Red Button' are enhanced by the blue flowering of catmints or perennial salvias.

Pennisetums bring movement to flowerbeds, cleverly placed between the stones of a large rockery or above a low wall. These grasses take on an astonishing dimension in low light and transparently highlight all perspectives, even in the smallest of gardens. In a flower meadow or at the edge of a pathway, don't deprive yourself of your sense of touch either: their plumes are as silky to the touch as they appear. More prosaically, Pennisetum also has the advantage of stabilising soils through its very dense root system.