This summer the hot and extremely dry weather has made maintaining an interesting and attractive garden difficult and labour intensive.  The onset of cooler weather has been a welcome respite for most garden lovers, with the emergence of plants which leave their best until near the end of the season.

Pennisetum Hameln

One plant we feel deserves to be more widely used is the Pennisetum ‘Hameln’ with its delicate bottlebrush like flowers in late summer and into autumn.  Reaching a height of between 60-90cm we like to use this grass either in broad sweeps through a sunny border or amongst Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and Lavenders.

It prefers a sunny spot with soil which doesn’t dry out too often.  In drier conditions such as the ones we have just experienced it may need to be well watered but will reward you with a great display of ‘brushes’ later in the year.

This autumn why not give your borders a taste of the prairie with this great small grass.