Calamagrostis A. ‘Karl Foerster’ 400

Latin Name: Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

Common Name: Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass

Zones: 4–9

Height & Spread: 4–5 feet tall (with flower plumes), spreading 2–3 feet wide

Descriptive Features: Named the Perennial Plant Association's 2001 Perennial Plant of the Year and widely regarded as one of the best cool-season ornamental grasses for structure, this sterile hybrid was selected by legendary German nurseryman Karl Foerster. Forms a tight, upright, vase-shaped clump of narrow, arching, deep green foliage that stays neat and doesn't flop, even in wind or rain. In early summer — earlier than most ornamental grasses — feathery, purplish-pink flower plumes rise well above the foliage, quickly narrowing and maturing to a golden, wheat-tan color that persists as striking vertical accents through fall and well into winter. Being sterile, it doesn't self-seed or become weedy, unlike some other feather reed grass cultivars. Extremely low-maintenance, adaptable to a wide range of soils including clay, and tolerant of both moist and average garden conditions. Deer-resistant, drought-tolerant once established, and virtually pest- and disease-free. Its strict vertical form makes it one of the most versatile grasses for the landscape — excellent as a specimen, screen, or repeated accent in formal or naturalistic borders, mass plantings, or rain gardens in full sun to light shade.