Ornamental grass · North Texas care guide
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'
Nursery Pro tip: Tidy, hardy, and comes back every year. The workhorse grass.
'Hameln' and its kin — a tidy 2–3 ft mound of green blades topped with tan bottlebrush plumes from July to frost, then a handsome straw color all winter. Unlike the purple type, this one is a true perennial here and comes back every year.
Full sun to light shade; any drained soil. Space 2–3 ft apart. Excellent in a row along a walk or massed on a slope.
Spring or fall. Hole twice the pot width, ball at grade, native soil, Root Stimulator, mulch.
Weekly the first summer, then every week or two. Drought tolerant once settled.
A light spring feeding at most.
Cut to 4–6 in in late February, before new growth. Leave the plumes standing through winter. Divide every three or four years when the center thins.
Rot in soggy soil. It reseeds mildly — pull volunteers or shear the plumes in fall if you'd rather it didn't.
Modern and prairie plantings with Russian sage, coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and boxwood or hollies for evergreen structure.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.