Oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose'
Cenchrus orientalis 'Karley Rose' · Poaceae
Soft, smoky rose-pink plumes arch out from a graceful mound from early summer to autumn, a much longer season than other fountain grasses.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late June to early October
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose'
The planner designed this bed around oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' × 1, pink
- 2 Stemless gentian × 24, blue
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 8, yellow
- 4 Garden phlox 'Jeana' × 3, pink
- 5 Gray's sedge × 3, green
- 6 Palm sedge × 4, green leaves
- 7 Checkered lily × 3, purple
Why this plant
- The only plumes. The others are trumpets, daisies, dense clusters and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do Gray's sedge and palm sedge.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Gray's sedge (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 15 weeks. From late June to early October.
- Closes the season. For its last two weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- Stands through winter. Left uncut, it holds its shape until March, when the perennials have gone.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 58% of the planted ground. The bed is tied together by its repeats: two kinds come round again along it, stemless gentian and mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, in early May.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
It starts flowering in June, two months before most grasses, and the dusty pink blends with almost any colour. Lovely with Russian sage.
- A long season of soft pink plumes
- The middle of a sunny border
- Massing
What to plant with oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Russian sage: in flower together for 10 weeks, from mid July.
- Purple coneflower: in flower together for 11 weeks, from late June.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': in flower together for eight weeks, from mid August; bold leaves against its fine ones.
Questions about oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose'
Does oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' need sun or shade?
Oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Late June to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late June to early October |
| Zone 7 | Late June to early October |
| Zone 8 | Late June to early October |
| Zone 9 | Mid June to early October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' be planted?
2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 5 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 6 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Self-seeds freely. Remove the spent flowers to limit seedlings.
What flowers after oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose'?
Oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink': from late September to early November, 2½ ft tall.
- Japanese onion 'Ozawa': from early October to early November, 10 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Tatarian aster 'Jindai': from early October to early November, 4 ft tall.
What does oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' look like in winter?
Oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' turns the colour of straw and, left uncut, stands through the winter, with seed for the birds. Cut it down in late winter, before the new shoots come up.
Is oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' good for bees and butterflies?
Oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose' is visited by pollinators and songbirds.
More Cenchrus
- Dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln' Cenchrus alopecuroides 'Hameln' (formerly Pennisetum)
- Fountain grass 'Burgundy Bunny' Cenchrus alopecuroides 'Burgundy Bunny'
- Fountain grass 'Little Bunny' Cenchrus alopecuroides 'Little Bunny'
- Purple fountain grass Cenchrus x advena 'Rubrum' (formerly Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum')
In these guides
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Ornamental grasses under 3 feet
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late June to early October; feathery plumes; pink
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Arching, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Poaceae
- Attracts
- Pollinators, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.