Purple Fountain Grass is not a perennial in our zone 7b. It will turn light
brown when frost comes and will melt to the ground. Unfortunately, it is
the deepest burgundy grass that looks very nice in our area and most people
want it to be a perennial. You could try taking it into a garage for the
winter and overwintering it there. Don't feed it; just water it once a week
if it dries out. In April, cut the stalks back to a couple of inches from
the ground and start fertilizing with a liquid (1/2 diluted) once a week.
Put it in a warm sunny spot and it should start growing back again. I
haven't heard anyone say that it self seeds. Mine didn't. I just buy new
ones each year.

Penny

"Elizabeth" wrote in message
ink.net...
Hi,

Does anyone have experience with fountain grass, particularly some of the
red or purple varieties? Is this a plant that does well as a perennial
here?
How do the stalks look in winter? Should it be cut back to the ground?
Does
it self-seed (that would be a problem)?

Thanks,
Elizabeth