‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass
‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’) PP18504
This is why I love plants!
Like most mornings I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to our sun room to read and enjoy my coffee. As the sun was coming up I looked outside and through the porch railing I see this spectacular display of red foliage being illuminated by the morning sun at a really interesting angle. I was really taken back by this display of red color and early morning sun so I grabbed my camera and out the door I went. These are the photos that I snapped of the ‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass in my landscape.
‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass
You can see the sun shining brightly through this ‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass. Pam and I were at one of the local nurseries this summer and these beautiful grasses really caught our eye so we bought five and added them to our landscape.
‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass
As I often do, I planted all five of them in an arc in the landscape. However, as I did a little research on this beautiful plant to write this article I learned that they are rated for zones 9a through 11b. On the plant tag no zone information was given. So as beautiful as these are, chances are they will not make through our Ohio, zone 5 winters.
That’s too bad, but I like them so much that I’d buy five new ones next year if I can find them. I’ll treat them much like I would an annual flower here in zone 5.
‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass
So, if you are in a warmer zone you should see if you can find this wonderful ornamental grass. If you are in colder zone you could plant them and treat them like an annual as I will do, should I be able to find them again next spring.
Why would any of us have trouble finding them? Because they are patented and you can’t just propagate them at will like you would many other plants. So that usually makes them a little more difficult to find because growers have to buy the small plants from a wholesale grower who is licensed to grow them. So that limits the number of wholesale growers who actually have them on hand to sell.
How do you know which plants are patented and which are not? Patented plants will have the plant patent information right on the plant tag like this; ‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’) PP18504. And somewhere on the tag it will say “Propagation Strictly Prohibited”.
In my Growing System, “Small Plants, Big Profits from Home” I explain in great detail about patented plants, what plants you are free to propagate, and where you can buy patented plants at really low prices to grow on and resell at a nice profit. Anybody can grow and sell a patented plant as long as they purchase the small plant known as a liner from a wholesale grower who is licensed to grow and sell that plant. At that point of sale the plant royalty is paid. It’s just that you cannot reproduce the plants that you buy. You can pot them up, grow them to a larger size and sell them at a profit. The royalties on patented plants are not that much, maybe 50 cents or a dollar. Some are even less than that!
However, don’t think for a minute that all of the good plants are patented. Nothing could be further from the truth! There are hundreds and hundreds of plants that you are free to propagate to your hearts desire. I’ve grown and sold thousands and thousands of non patented plants and the people just love them!
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‘Fireworks’ Fountain Grass grows in zones 9a through 11b. It really needs full sun to look it’s best and will grow in variety of different soils. It grows to a height of 24″ to 30″ and for the most part is considered an annual, not a perennial.
They are absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!
looks pretty much like “purple fountain grass” to me, available at nurseries. like it too. just planted one the summer, looks good with purple cone flowers and gaura
Hmm? Except that purple fountain grass is PURPLE and fireworks grass is a deep red…? Have planted both in the past, & they are two VERY different colors.
Maggie,
This is Fireworks, not Purple Fountain grass. This is red, not purple.
I often saw something similar to this growing wild in a field next to our home in southern Virginia. The colors are really beautiful!
So pretty! You may not be able to propagate them for sale, but perhaps you can dig them up and save them for your own garden next year. I do this with lemongrass, geraniums, and dahlias. (I live in NJ.)
This grass is sold all over here in the west as an annual ornamental. It is very popular as a conainer plant, I also think of it the same as I would petunias or any other annual for color. I prefer to grow things like this rather then petunias. There is also a couple of pennisetums that are hardy to zone 5 but they are green until fall and then they start turning red and bronze, and they have the same beautiful blooms! Georgeous! But, you’ll have to google it. Mike, I can’t wait to get your growing system! I’ve already started selling plants!
Donna, that’s great! But . . . if you are selling plants you need my system more than ever. Many people get started without my system only to find out that they made some serious mistakes and have to back track. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
it’s gorgeous! I found this last year and had high hopes – unfortunately it didn’t make it through our winter – zone 8, relatively mild but wet winter. If yours does, I’d like to know so I can try again.
Thanks Mike for all your great ideas and recommendations.
Oops, forgot to add I’ll probably just have to follow your advice and treat them like annuals. Meanwhile, if you learn of a hardier but similar variety, that would be even better!
Just got this grass a week ago. It was called Purple Fountain here. We’re a little milder here so I’m going to mulch it and try to get it to make it through the winter.
I have some of this, it does well in containers too, I planted some at the office in a big pot with some hostas and other stuff. I am in zone 7a so i know it probably won’t make it through the winter here.
by the way, i got mine at Lowe’s for $1 each! What a steal!
Thank you for the tip, Debbie. I was ready to start looking for them so I’ll head straight to the local Lowe’s.
Since I live in Southern CA, they are readily available. And one thing I have noticed, they do reseed. I started with five plants and now the hill they are planted on, I have ten. But, I do have to cut them back, every year. Here they are called Red Fountain Grass. They are quite beautiful.
I got 5-6 of these plants from dividing a 1 gal container. When we buy we try and buy plants that are about to bust out of the containers . $$$$
Tommy, just beware that patented plants are protected against propagation. I’m going to write an article that explains this in more detail.
Mike, when a plant is “patent pending”, does that mean you cannot propigate it whatsoever or can you propigate it for your own use, not to sell? I would respect someone’s work and the law as well, but I am just not clear on this. Thanks!
John, nobody but is allowed to propagate a patented plant no matter who you intend to use the off spring. In most cases a plant patent protects the plant against asexual reproduction which means any kind of propagation except seeds. Growing from seed is sexual reproduction. But if you look on plant tags of patented plants most say “propagation prohibited”. They used to say “asexual propagation prohibited”. So . . . I’m not sure why they are not printing the tags as they are. Just to intimidate us, or are the seeds protected? As far as I know they are not and if you search plant patents wikipedia has a pretty good explanation of how it all works.
We as Backyard Growers, there are still thousands of plants that we are free to propagate so that is always our focus. We grow almost all non patented plants, but we also buy some patented plants, pay the royalty at the time of purchase, grow the plants on and sell them.
Ur right Mike. We have these plants in our landscaping at our residence. I would never sell such a plant . There are way to many plants u can divide that don’t have a patented on them. Keep up the GOOD WORK MIKE !!
Tks, Tommy’s Landscaping Nursery
There is a difference between propagation and preservation, Particularly with ornamental grasses from warmer latitudes, one can dig them up, trim them, pot them and store in your garage to be brought out and replanted when weather stabilizes above 55/60 F. In certain cases, divission may be necessary to preservation for your own use.
Miguel, my guess is that if you have to divide a patented ornamental grass for preservation the holder of the patent would expect you to throw way the divisions. Just my guess. As a grower who grows for profit I that’s exactly what I would do.
Your beds look so nice….weed free! What is under your mulch and how much mulch did you put on it? Thank you for all the helpful tips and info. I love your videos too!