One of the big landscaping trends for the last decade has been the use of easy care ornamental grasses. Green foliage grows in a neat, 2-foot clump. This is a cool season grass that grows best with regular moisture and in sunny locations. … It is believed a famous German nurseryman – Karl Foerster – found the plant in the Hamburg Botanical Garden in the 1930s. In early spring, stalks rise up to 6 feet, capped with elongated, wheat-colored seed heads. An early bloomer, 'Karl Foerster' is a cool season grass that grows most rapidly in … This is a nice looking grass that stays in place and tolerates a wide variety of conditions. One of the most popular ornamental grasses worldwide, Calamagrostis x acutiflora ' The Karl Foerster feather reed grass is a striking example of the beauty and character grasses can bring to Inland Empire gardens and landscapes. Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' has green leaves with reddish flowers. This ornamental grass will stay compact but it reaches for the sky with elegant plumes of feathery flowers. Dependable and steadfast, this is the ornamental grass of choice for landscape designers looking for clean lines and uniformity. 'Karl Foerster' Feather Reed Grass creates a dramatic garden accent, with tall, slender, vertical growth and feathery plumes of shifting bronze color that stay in place year-round. Varieties of Feather Reed Grass . Get vertical in your garden! Karl Foerster feather reed grass (Calmagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’) is an excellent specimen around ponds, water gardens, and other moisture laden sites. Karl Foerster Feather Grass Info. Neutral: On Aug 26, 2004, tcfromky from Mercer, PA (Zone 5a) wrote: This upright, arching grass grows 2 to 3 feet round with showy flower spikes rising 3 feet above the foliage. Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Overdam' has white variegated leaves and white flowers. The plant does suffer in the heat and humidity of an eastern zone 9 summer. It grows 2 to 3 feet tall. Hardy throughout USDA Zones 4 through 9. As a cool season grass, ‘Karl Foerster’ greens up quickly and blooms in early summer, enabling us to enjoy the graceful, feathery, tan plumes almost all season, and on into winter, when they are a favorite of wildlife. You'll get multi-seasonal interest with this towering grass. Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ is the first ornamental grass to receive the Perennial Plant of the Year Award ® (2001), earned for good looks, long-lasting plumes and undemanding growing requirements. 'Karl Foerster' is a cool-season grass meaning it grows best at temperatures near 70oF, and the best time to plant is spring in the North; fall in the South and West. This 3- to 4-foot tall plant was named Perennial Plant of the Year in 2001. Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Reaching New Garden HeightsIf you have a damp spot to fill or a narrow gap in your garden, Karl Foerster Grass is a tall and elegant plant to do the job. Above: Mix-and-match perennial grasses get along well on a slope; shown here are Mexican feather grass (Stipa), New Zealand wind grass, ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass, and lavender in Joel Baluyot’s San Francisco garden, an entry in our 2017 Gardenista Considered Design Awards contest. Karl Foerster Grass, botanically called Calamagrostis x acutiflora (ka-la-mo-GROSS-tis, ak-yoo-tih-FLOR-uh), is a hybrid of two plant species – C. epigejos and C. arundinacea, both indigenous to Asia and Europe. 'Karl Foerster' grows well in most North American gardens. See more in A Young City Garden. 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