Would you like to have plants in your garden that are also beautiful to look at in the winter months? The easy-care lamp cleaner grass with the funny panicles that look like small brushes is particularly suitable for this. However, since Pennisetum prefers full sun, warm locations, many garden lovers hesitate to cultivate it. In this article we clarify, among other things, whether the ornamental grass is hardy.

Pennisetum grass also looks beautiful in winter

Is the lamp cleaning grass frost tolerant?

Pennisetum is very robust and can also be overwintered outdoors in our latitudes. The spikes covered with frost are extremely attractive and give the garden a wonderful look at the time when otherwise little is blooming. This makes it ideal for winter greening of the garden.

How is the grass properly overwintered?

Despite the basic frost resistance, you should take a few basic measures so that Pennisetum comes through the cold season unscathed:

  • Don't cut back the fountain grass in the fall, as this would make it more susceptible to frost and rot damage.
  • Instead, tie the long stalks together. In this way, they form a natural root protection against sub-zero temperatures.
  • Additional winter protection is only required in harsh locations.

If necessary, you can cover the root area with brushwood or leaves. A self-erected winter tent made of poles, bamboo mats or garden fleece also works well.

Overwinter lamp cleaning grass cultivated in buckets

The attractive lamp cleaner grass is easy to care for in a bucket on the terrace or balcony. In this case, however, you should not overwinter it outdoors, but place the ornamental grass in a frost-free but cool room during the winter months. A cellar that is not completely darkened or a gazebo are ideal.

Water the pennisetum when needed, the root ball should never dry out completely.

Exception: the red lamp cleaner grass

Pennisetum setaceum rubrum is actually very demanding in cultivation, but unlike other varieties it is not winter-proof. The wet and cold winters in our latitudes are bad for the red lamp-pennisetum and it cannot get through the cold season without appropriate measures.

In a wind-protected, warm location, for example in front of a wall, outdoor cultivation is successful all year round with sufficient winter protection. Alternatively, you can wrap the lower half of the ornamental grass with frost-proof material such as plant fleece and additionally protect the root area with leaves or brushwood.

In cold regions, it is better to put the pretty red ornamental grass in buckets that you can overwinter in the house.

tips

In the spring, gently acclimate the pennisetum to the changing conditions. If you have protected Pennisetum with a winter tent, you can remove it as soon as the temperatures rise. If it unexpectedly gets very cold again, you can put a fleece over the plant if necessary. Increase the light supply to potted plants step by step.

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Herbs