Plant Guide

Brand:  PanAmerican Seed

Description:

A warm season annual grass selected for its bold, coarse foliage which starts out light caramel turning copper over the summer, and showy rose to bronze seed heads that persist into winter; makes a dramatic statement in containers, gardens, and landscapes

Ornamental Features

Copper Prince Millet features bold plumes of rose flowers rising above the foliage from late summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive large grassy leaves emerge gold in spring, turning coppery-bronze in color with showy olive green variegation and tinges of rose. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous brick red in the fall. The coppery-bronze seed heads are carried on showy plumes which fade to brown over time, which are displayed in abundance from early fall to late winter.

Landscape Attributes

Copper Prince Millet is an herbaceous annual with a shapely form and gracefully arching foliage. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Copper Prince Millet is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Copper Prince Millet will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. This annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Copper Prince Millet is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.