Pennisetum purpureumNapier Grass

Pennisetum purpureum, the Napier Grass or Elephant Grass, is a giant African cane grass reaching 2 to 4 metres in a season, with broad arching leaf blades that are green in the agricultural forms and purple-bronze in the ornamental selections.

It is the fastest screening plant in the grass palette, used to close a boundary or hide a compound within months rather than years.

Specifications

• Height2 to 4 metres
• Width1 to 2 metres, spreading steadily at the base
• Native toSub-Saharan Africa
• FoliageBroad arching leaf blades on tall canes, green or purple-bronze in ornamental selections; evergreen in frost-free climates
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilAdapts widely and grows hardest on fertile, moisture-retentive soils
• LightFull sun
• WaterModerate; drought-tolerant once established but responds strongly to water
• ClimateThrives in tropical and subtropical regions and in warm arid climates with irrigation

Additional Features

• FlowersBristly cream to purple flower spikes in late summer and autumn
• UsesIdeal for fast screening, windbreaks, embankment stabilisation and boundary planting
• SpacingPlant 1 to 1.5 metres apart for a closed screen
• Low MaintenanceCut the clump to the ground annually to renew it and keep it in bounds
• Pest ResistanceGenerally pest-free and resilient
• Drought ToleranceHolds standing cover through dry periods once established
• Erosion ControlDense fibrous roots stabilise embankments and raw batters

Napier Grass is the quickest green screen available, on the understanding that it needs an annual cut to stay where it was put.