Pennisetum glaucum. Start the precious seeds of this jaw-dropping annual indoors six to eight weeks before your last frost date, and space the seedlings at least 60cm (24") apart. This magnificent hybrid millet is the very meaning of ornamental, with dark, mahogany/purple leaves followed by stunning, cattail-like panicles (seed heads) that can reach 1.2m (5') tall. Grow single plants in large patio containers for a summer long spectacleor use the seed heads in bouquets or as dried flowers. It would also look amazing as a kind of hedge or in other mass plantings. We dried the panicles from our summer seed trial — they actually smell like brown sugar!

• Incredible mahogany foliage
• Cattail-like seed heads
• Height to 1.2m (5')
• Hybrid seeds