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Pennisetum 'fireworks' 19cm

Name: Pennisetum 'fireworks' 19cm
Brand: Greenleaf Garden Center
SKU: Pennisfirew19cm
Price: 16.0 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

€16,00

Quantity

Tender warm-season perennial grass · Poaceae · fountain-shaped tussock

Pennisetum advena ‘Fireworks’

Your garden’s little firework! 🎇

Family: Poaceae · Pot diameter: 19cm (3 litres) · Height: 40–60cm

Pink-burgundy stripes
80–120cm in flower
Warm-season growth
Purple-red panicles

Pennisetum advena ‘Fireworks’ is the striped fountain grass that turns a plain green composition into a living brushstroke with presence from both near and far. Every arching blade carries lengthwise burgundy, pink, green and white bands, while upright culms open into an airy fountain. From early summer, soft reddish panicles hover over the tussock and gradually mature to a quiet beige.

In one warm growing season it can reach about 80–120cm with the panicles and 50–80cm in spread. It is a tender warm-season grass: colder gardens use it seasonally, while a sheltered Mediterranean site may see it return from the crown. Strong colour depends on light, and old foliage dries after cold weather.

The currently accepted identity is Cenchrus × cupreus; Pennisetum advena remains a widely used horticultural synonym.

What makes it special

A vigorous basal tussock with striped arching blades and long panicles that age from reddish purple to beige.

Four bands of colour

Burgundy, pink, green and white run lengthwise along the blades.

Fountain movement

Upright culms and arching leaves build an open, dynamic fountain.

Panicles into autumn

Purple-red bottlebrush panicles open in summer and fade to beige.

Why you will love it: it combines linear colour, strong rhythm and silky movement within one clean outline.

In the garden & on the balconyPlacement & plant combinationsBold vertical accent · full sun · mature spread 50–80cm

Planting position

Sunny colour anchor

Place it in a prominent warm border position or a roomy pot with free drainage. Allow roughly 60–80cm from neighbouring mature tussocks so its leaves can arch freely without covering a path.

Colour & compatibility

Burgundy with silver

Pink and burgundy bands stand out beside silver foliage, deep violet and small white flowers.

Salvia leucantha — velvety violet flower spikes with a matching late-season rhythm.
Gaura lindheimeri — light white-pink flowers that repeat the movement without visual weight.
Helichrysum italicum — low silver foliage that sharpens the burgundy outline.

Care at a glance

Light

Full sun for dense growth and clear pink-burgundy bands; shade makes the foliage greener.

Watering

Water regularly while rooting and deeply in heat, allowing the surface to dry slightly between soakings.

Climate & hardiness

Tender and warmth-loving; protect the crown from frost and cold, saturated soil.

Safety

Not intended for consumption; finely rough margins and mature panicles may cause mechanical irritation.

Detailed careComplete care guideEight practical points: Position, Watering, Soil, Feeding, Winter care, Propagation, Safety, Regulatory check.

Position

Give full sun and shelter from cold winds for the strongest variegation.

Watering

Maintain even moisture while it establishes; later, soak deeply before the blades wilt.

Soil

Use fertile but freely drained soil and never leave water around the crown.

Feeding

A light spring feed is enough; excess nitrogen softens growth and blurs the bands.

Winter care

Retain dry foliage as light protection, then cut it low only before new growth begins.

Propagation

Preserving the stripes requires asexual increase by division, not seed.

Safety

Wear gloves when handling the narrow blades and dry panicles; do not treat the plant as edible or specifically safe for pets.

Regulatory check

Cenchrus setaceus (syn. Pennisetum setaceum) is on the Union list of invasive alien species. Fireworks is now classified as the hybrid Cenchrus × cupreus; because of its older names, obtain current written confirmation in Greece before planting, moving or supplying it.

Development over timeHow the stripes igniteThree stages from warm-season emergence through purple-red panicles to winter drying.

Striped emergence

New culms rise from the crown and the bands strengthen as light increases.

Purple fountain

The tussock rises and arches, carrying purple-red bottlebrush panicles.

Beige ripening

Panicles fade and cold gradually dries the foliage.

Mature habit & dimensions

established mature plant

Height 80–120cmSpread 50–80cmFountain-shaped basal tussock

Mature Cenchrus × cupreus ‘Fireworks’ builds a dense basal tussock from which separate sheathed culms, arching striped blades and panicles rise at varied heights. The side elevation shows a fountain, not a solid shrub.

Form through time

two real states

Warm-season emergencePurple-red panicles to beige

Striped emergenceWarmth activates new multicoloured growth from the crown.

Panicles and ripeningPurple-red heads fade to beige before cold weather.

The drawings connect young basal emergence with flowering and natural drying after cold weather.

What to expect after planting: Growth starts once the soil warms, fills quickly into a fountain-shaped tussock and flowers within the same warm season. Cold weather reduces or dries the top growth.

History & originCultivar originRonald Strasko · Leola, Pennsylvania · culm sport found 2004

In spring 2004, Ronald Strasko noticed a culm with unusual white, green and burgundy stripes on a ‘Rubrum’ at Creek Hill Nursery in Leola, Pennsylvania. He selected this spontaneous sport for its stable variegation and vigorous fountain-shaped habit.

In June that year Strasko made the first asexual increase by culm division. Later generations produced through division and tissue culture retained the bands, growth habit and purple-red panicles of the original sport.

The US application was filed on 14 August 2006 under the then-used classification Pennisetum setaceum, and US Plant Patent 18,504 was granted on 19 February 2008. In Europe, the initial application under Cenchrus setaceus was withdrawn; replacement application 2010/2527 under Cenchrus advena led to Community Plant Variety Right 33014, granted on 18 June 2012 and expiring on 31 December 2037.

Current taxonomic synthesis places the plant as Cenchrus × cupreus ‘Fireworks’, while Pennisetum advena ‘Fireworks’ survives as a familiar trade synonym. The same striped sport therefore carries a newer botanical name than it did in its original patent.

Greenleaf for Plant NerdsScience nobody asked forBotanical details for anyone curious about what lies behind the plant’s appearance

Parallel colour zones

Variegation runs along the blade and appears on both its upper and lower surfaces.

Sheathed culms

Each linear leaf wraps the base of a cylindrical culm in a sheath before arching outwards.

A brush of many spikelets

Each apparently single panicle contains many small spikelets surrounded by long bristles.

Frequently asked questions

Six specific answers about the identity, colour, size, winter behaviour and responsible management of Fireworks.

01Is Fireworks Cenchrus setaceus?

The accepted identity is now Cenchrus × cupreus, with Pennisetum advena widely used as a synonym. The old patent classification does not by itself equate it with wild C. setaceus.

02How large does it become?

In a mature warm season, allow about 80–120cm in height with panicles and 50–80cm in spread.

03How does it keep strong stripes?

Give full sun, moderate feeding and an open position; shade increases green and lowers contrast.

04Will it survive winter?

It is a tender grass of roughly USDA zone 9 and warmer. Survival depends on frost, drainage and crown protection.

05Is it sterile or non-invasive?

No such guarantee is made. The patent observed no seed in its trials, but that does not prove sterility or lack of risk in every climate.

06Are there planting restrictions?

Rules depend on exact botanical identity and can change. Confirm current Greek implementation before planting, moving or supplying it.

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Pennisetum 'fireworks' 19cm

Pennisetum 'fireworks' 19cm

Pennisetum advena ‘Fireworks’

What makes it special

Four bands of colour

Fountain movement

Panicles into autumn

Sunny colour anchor

Burgundy with silver

Care at a glance

Light

Watering

Climate & hardiness

Safety

Position

Watering

Soil

Feeding

Winter care

Propagation

Safety

Regulatory check

Striped emergence

Purple fountain

Beige ripening

Mature habit & dimensions

Form through time

Parallel colour zones

Sheathed culms

A brush of many spikelets

Frequently asked questions

Pennisetum 'fireworks' 19cm — Care & Tips

We take care of the packaging!

With specially designed boxes, we ensure that the plants will reach you intact, no matter what they encounter on the way!

All plants in 3L pots or larger are placed in individual boxes that secure the plant at the base of the pot, preventing it from tipping over.

The cardboard used for the boxes is specially made to provide resistance to potential impacts during transport.

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