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Ornamental Millet 'Jester' (Pennisetum glaucum): Colorful Foliage and Bottlebrush Spikes

Overview

'Jester' is an award-winning cultivar of Pearl Millet grown as an annual for its stunning foliage and flower spikes. Leaves emerge chartreuse, mature to deep burgundy-purple, and the dense, cattail-like flower spikes emerge purple, turning amber. It reaches 3-4 feet tall, adding bold color to summer borders.

Taxonomy & Nomenclature

Family:	Poaceae (poh-AY-see-ee)
Genus:	Pennisetum (pen-ih-SEE-tum)
Species:	glaucum (GLAW-kum)
Cultivar:	Jester

Cultivation & Uses

Full sun; average, well-drained soil. Heat and drought tolerant. Grow as a warm-season annual. Excellent in containers, mixed borders, and as a cut flower (spikes last long in arrangements). Birds love the seeds. Direct sow after frost or start indoors.

Grasses and Bamboo: Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus); Ornamental Millet 'Purple Majesty' (Pennisetum glaucum 'Purple Majesty'); Ribbon Grass 'Picta' (Phalaris arundinacea): A Variegated, Spreading Grass for Wet Sites; Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides): The Native, Drought-Tolerant Turf of the Great Plains; Ornamental Millet 'Jester' (Pennisetum glaucum): Colorful Foliage and Bottlebrush Spikes; Wild Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum): Ancient Grain and Weedy Annual; Ornamental Millet 'Jester' (Pennisetum glaucum): Chartreuse to Burgundy Foliage; Ornamental Corn 'Quadricolor' (Zea mays): A Stunning, Four-Colored Foliage Corn; Faassen's Catmint (Nepeta × faassenii): Classic Perennial for Cats and Pollinators; Gladiolus 'Jester' (Gladiolus × hortulanus 'Jester')

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