Pennisetum orientale Shogun - Oriental Fountain Grass

The Pennisetum orientale 'Shogun' is a superb improvement of the wild species: taller and more spectacular, this superb Cilium Grass also bears a multitude of longer and more upright fluffy flower heads of a pretty fresh pink colour turning white. Forming a beautiful tuft of supple leaves of a lovely bluish-green, this perennial grass is remarkable for its elegance and light grace but also decorative until late in the season. Essential and versatile, this Pennisetum is also easy to grow in most climates. With unrestrained poetry in flower beds, it stands out in pots in modern style and in romantic or natural compositions. Its flower heads are magnificent in dried bouquets.

Pennisetum orientale is a rhizomatous perennial plant that is not invasive, originating from central and southwestern Asia, which thrives in well-drained, moist to dry soil in full sun. Deciduous to semi-evergreen, it is hardy down to -12°C (10.4°F) in well-drained soil, and shows fairly rapid growth. In our climates, it reaches maturity in a few months from a young plant, which allows it to be grown as an annual in harsh climates. The 'Shogun' cultivar was recently discovered in a garden in Cincinnati, USA. The plant forms a fountain of rough, ribbon-like foliage, glaucous in colour, with a flower height of 90 cm (35in), foliage height of 60 cm (24in), occupying about 60 cm (24in) in diameter on the ground. The flowering, particularly abundant, takes place from July to October, longer if the autumn is mild and faded flower heads are removed. The long arching spikes slightly droop above the foliage, carried by stiff stems. They consist of tiny pink spikelets gathered in narrow panicles, 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12in) long, with a feathery appearance, covered in long silvery hairs. As they wither, they become whiter in colour and remain very decorative in winter.

The Pennisetum orientale 'Shogun' is an architectural, sturdy, undemanding plant, simple and hardy, capable of growing practically everywhere. It is versatile, in its refined and elegant aspect, welcome in a wild or contemporary garden, but also due to its ease of cultivation. Perfectly adapted to sea spray and drought, it is useful in a dry garden and flower pots or rockeries, for example, paired with autumn stonecrops. Plant it en masse along a path, or create romantic displays with summer or autumn-flowering perennials such as Lespedeza, spike speedwells, shrubby salvias, asters and Japanese anemones. Its pairing with summer or autumn-flowering heathers (Erica multiflora in chalky soil, Erica lusitanica or arborea in acidic soil) is very successful. This grass can also be used as a large ground cover.