Pennisetum also enriches the garden during the winter months. The attractive flowers, covered with frost, set interesting accents. The beautiful ornamental grass with the gently swaying spikes can also be cultivated in a bucket on the balcony or terrace. Here you can find out how to get the feather bristle grass well over the winter.
Pennisetum grass should not be cut back before winter
Overwinter potted plants
At the beginning of the cold season, simply bring the planters inside and place the Pennisetum in a cool, frost-free room. During the rest period, the ornamental grass does not need too much light, so that a basement room that is not too bright is also suitable.
Make sure the root ball doesn't dry out completely and water occasionally.
The right place in the garden
In order to reliably form flowers, the lamp cleaner grass needs a lot of light and warmth. A sheltered spot is also ideal so that the heat-loving grass is not damaged during the cold winter months. If possible, place it in front of a house wall or a high hedge.
Hibernation outdoors
In our latitudes, the feather bristle grass is almost completely hardy. In open locations you should still provide additional winter protection:
- Stop fertilizing in late summer.
- Do not cut back Pennisetum, but tie the stems together in autumn. They serve as a natural protection against the cold for the root system.
- Apply a layer of brushwood, mulch (€239.00) or straw.
- In very rough locations, it has proven useful to wrap the lamp cleaning grass with garden fleece.
tips
Not all types of this ornamental grass are hardy and can remain outdoors. The red-leaved variety Pennisetum setaceum originally comes from Africa and is not frost-resistant.