Pennisetum glaucumOrnamental Millet

Pennisetum glaucum is pearl millet, a Sahelian cereal that has crossed into ornamental use through deep burgundy-leaved selections. Broad strap leaves build a strong vertical, and dense cylindrical seed heads up to 300 millimetres long stand above them through summer.

It is used in seasonal mass bedding and mixed planting where a tall dark accent is wanted, and it copes with heat and low water better than most bedding subjects.

Specifications

• Height1 to 1.5 metres in ornamental forms, taller in field-grown crops
• Width0.4 to 0.6 metres
• Native toThe Sahel region of West Africa
• FoliageBroad, strap-like leaves, green to deep burgundy-purple in ornamental selections; annual
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilTolerates poor, sandy and low-fertility soils; requires free drainage
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow to moderate; notably drought-tolerant for a bedding subject
• ClimateThrives in hot, dry tropical and subtropical conditions

Additional Features

• FlowersDense cylindrical seed heads up to 300 millimetres long, held above the foliage in summer
• UsesIdeal for seasonal mass bedding, vertical accent in mixed planting and containers
• SpacingPlant 0.3 to 0.4 metres apart for a closed seasonal block
• Low MaintenanceNeeds no staking or trimming; remove and replant at the end of the season
• Pest ResistanceGenerally robust in hot dry conditions
• Drought ToleranceHolds condition on low water where softer bedding plants collapse
• Wildlife AttractionSeed heads are stripped by birds through autumn

Ornamental Millet gives a hot bed real height and dark colour for one season, on a fraction of the water most bedding demands.