Pennisetum ‘Hush Puppy' ™ | Pennisetum Grass

Pennisetum ‘Hush Puppy' ™ offers a charming and manageable ornamental grass option for your outdoor space. Well-suited for USDA Hardiness Zones 6 through 9, its compact size—growing 24 to 28 inches tall and wide—makes it perfect for tight garden spots, narrow borders, or vibrant container arrangements. The graceful fountain-like foliage adds movement and texture, enhancing your landscape’s visual appeal without overwhelming other plants. Easy to care for and adaptable, this variety brings elegant style and versatility to gardens where space and simplicity matter most. Elevate your planting design with the effortless beauty of Pennisetum ‘Hush Puppy' ™.

Its lush foliage emerges bright green in spring, providing texture and movement, then transitions to golden-brown in fall, ensuring visual interest across multiple seasons. In midsummer to early fall, ‘Hush Puppy' ™ dazzles with soft, fluffy, bottlebrush-like plumes in a subtle wheat-cream hue, creating a gentle, calming effect in the landscape.

While Pennisetum ‘Hush Puppy' ™ blooms are mostly fragrance-free, they play a valuable role in supporting your garden’s ecosystem by attracting essential pollinators like bees and butterflies. Including this ornamental grass in your landscape not only adds graceful texture and movement but also encourages healthy pollinator activity, which benefits surrounding plants and overall garden vitality. By choosing Pennisetum ‘Hush Puppy' ™, you invite natural helpers that contribute to a thriving, balanced outdoor environment, making your garden both beautiful and ecologically beneficial. 

A resilient selection, ‘Hush Puppy' ™ requires minimal intervention: drought tolerant once established, it thrives with little trimming and is highly resistant to deer. Its dense, mounding habit means less need for pruning, while its sturdy constitution ensures durability through heat, wind, and modest cold snaps. For planting, choose a site with full sun and well-drained soil, spacing plants about 2ft apart to promote air circulation. At establishment, water regularly, then gradually reduce frequency—about once weekly during prolonged dry spells. Apply a 2–3in layer of mulch in spring to retain moisture and suppress weeds, but avoid piling mulch directly against the crown. Pruning is simple: cut back dead foliage to a few inches above ground level in late winter before new growth emerges. Fertilizing is rarely needed; a light spring application of balanced granular fertilizer encourages healthy, bushy growth if the soil is poor.

Pennisetum ‘Hush Puppy' ™ is valued for its trouble-free nature, adaptability, and beauty—whether featured as an accent, groundcover, border, or low-maintenance container specimen. It is pet safe, enhancing outdoor enjoyment for both your family and furry companions, and stands as a durable, attractive, and easy-care choice for contemporary or classic gardens.