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Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass Calamagrostis acutiflora

  • Exposure
    • Part Sun to Sun
  • Season
    • Spring
    • Summer
  • Mature Size
    • 48 - 72 Inches
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Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass Calamagrostis acutiflora
Part Sun to Sun 48 - 72

2001 Perennial Plant of the Year

Features

Dramatic red-bronze flower spikes early to midsummer; will beautify your garden year after year

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Heat Tolerant
Deadheading Not Necessary
Attracts: 
Birds

Characteristics

Garden Height: 
48 - 72 Inches
Spacing Maximum: 
36 Inches
Flower Colors: 
Green
Flower Shade: 
Green
Foliage Colors: 
Yellow
Foliage Shade: 
Yellow
Habit: 
Upright
Container Role: 
Thriller

Plant Needs

Light Requirement: 
Part Sun to Sun
Bloom Time: 
Late Spring persisting into Winter
Hardiness Zones: 
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
Uses: 
Cut Flower
Uses: 
Dried Flower
Uses: 
Grass
Uses: 
Landscape
Uses Notes: 

Great for landscapes and as a specimen plant

Duration: 
Perennial
Water Category: 
Average
Maintenance Category: 
Easy
Maintenance Notes: 

Karl Foerster is cool-season grass. Cool-season grasses put on most of their growth in spring before temperatures begin exceeding 75 degrees Fahrenheit and in the fall when temperatures cool down. They generally maintain good color through the summer but won't grow much when it is hot.
Cut back cool season grasses in very early spring.

Cool season grasses tend to look good even as the weather cools. Leave their foliage in place until spring and then as soon as the snow is gone cut them back. Leave about 1/3 of the plant in place. Trimming cool season grasses too harshly can irreparably harm the plant.

Divide cool season grasses in spring or early fall. Cool season grasses are actively growing in spring and fall. These grasses can be transplanted at either time of the year but early spring is probably the best time to divide. If you do divide them in the fall, be careful that the freeze/thaw cycles of winter don't heave the plants out of the ground, this happened to a couple of my coral bells last winter.

Cut clumps of grass to the ground in late winter before new shoots appear.

Grass: 
Grass
Award Year Award Plant Trial
2007 Prairie Bloom Kansas State University
2007 Prairie Bloom Kansas State University
2005 Best Grasses at the Zoo Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
2005 Best Grasses at the Zoo Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
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