'Karley Rose' Fountain Grass (Pennisetum)
Best low-maintenance ornamental grass for busy gardeners seeking seasonal color.
Add five months of captivating color and movement to your sun garden with 'Karley Rose' Fountain Grass. This ornamental grass features graceful, smoky-pink plumes that arch over lush green foliage, swaying gently in the breeze. It's remarkably easy to grow, deer resistant, and thrives in heat, humidity, and full sun once established. Offering subtle winter interest and versatile landscape use, it reaches a mature size of approximately 40 inches tall and 36 inches wide, making it a low-maintenance addition to any garden.
$15.99
Owner Satisfaction
4.7
/ 5
Category Rank
29
/ 2989
#29 in Landscaping & Garden Plants
Price vs Category Average
-42%
Below average
Botanical name
Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose'
/ Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose'
Who it's for
- Gardeners seeking long-lasting seasonal color and visual interest
- Busy homeowners wanting low-effort, water-wise landscaping solutions
- Landscapers needing deer-resistant plants with graceful, architectural movement
Who should skip it
- Gardeners who dislike seasonal cleanup or bare winter beds
- Impatient planters wanting immediate, early-season garden growth
- Northern growers living in regions colder than USDA Zone 5
Performance breakdown
Visual Impact
Smoky-pink plumes provide consistent, graceful movement throughout the summer and fall.
Maintenance Ease
A low-effort perennial that thrives with minimal intervention once established.
Climate Resilience
Highly adaptable to intense heat, humidity, and varying sun conditions.
Pest Resistance
Reliably deer resistant, keeping your landscape intact without extra protection.
Seasonal Versatility
Maintains structural interest well into the winter months after blooming ends.
Growth Predictability
Consistent mounding habit ensures a tidy, uniform look in garden beds.
Key Specs
Botanical name
Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose'
Hardiness Zones
5 - 9
Sun exposure
Full Sun (> 6 hours sun)
Mature Height x Width
36-40 inches tall X 24-36 inches wide
Spacing
2 - 3 feet
Bloom Time
Summer through mid-fall
Patent Number
USPP 12,909
Foliage Color
Green
Features
- Smoky-pink plumes bloom summer through fall
- Gracefully sways in the breeze
- Easy to grow and deer resistant
- Tolerates heat, humidity, and sun
- Provides winter interest
- Long-lasting flower spikes
- Low maintenance needs
- Versatile landscape use
What customers say
Customers express high satisfaction with the Karley Rose Fountain Grass, focusing primarily on its exceptional ornamental value and reliable performance. Reviewers consistently praise the stunning, deep rosy pink plumes that offer superior visual interest across the growing season. The starter plants arrive healthy and well packaged, establishing quickly. Gardeners appreciate this variety’s vigorous growth and dependable hardiness, noting its low maintenance once settled. While some found the initial size modest for the cost, the spectacular mature display and consistent quality confirm this fountain grass as a highly recommended choice for reliable, vibrant texture in any garden setting.
Know before you buy
This grass thrives in full sun, meaning it requires at least six hours of direct sunlight per day to maintain its mounding habit and produce its signature plumes.
Yes, this variety is considered deer resistant, making it a reliable choice for gardens where wildlife pressure is a concern.
To allow for proper air circulation and growth, space each plant 2 to 3 feet apart. This ensures the grass has enough room to reach its mature width of up to 36 inches.
It is a hardy perennial in zones 5 through 9. You can leave the foliage standing through the winter to provide structural interest in the garden, then cut it back to the ground in early spring before new growth emerges.
Once established, it has moderate watering needs. While it is heat and humidity tolerant, it performs best in well-drained, moist soil, so monitor soil moisture during particularly dry summer spells.
The smoky-pink plumes typically begin to appear in the summer and will persist through mid-fall, providing several months of color and movement.
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$16