Calamagrostis X acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’

An attractive, long-blooming grass

Every time I sprain around , it seems there are more cosmetic grasses in the landscape , and not only in gardens — some grass have invaded the aboriginal flora as well . A friend tells a jape about this phenomenon : What do you call it when Jimmy inadvertently cut down down all theMiscanthusgrasses ? The punch wrinkle : A good start .

However , whileMiscanthusspecies and cultivar may be overuse in the North and pampas grass ( Cortaderiaspp . and cvs . ) is everywhere in the South , there are dozens of other highly suitable eatage . One of my favorites is plumage reed grass ( Calamagrostis X acutiflora ) , peculiarly the one named for an prodigious German gardener , Karl Foerster . I ’m not the only one who like ‘ Karl Foerster ’ ; it won the big enchilada when it was named the 2001 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association . nurseryman enjoy the plant for its handsome thin perpendicular unripe foliage from spring through free fall and for its wonderful flowers , which bug out out pink and then change to a fine tawny color with the cool day of autumn .

‘ Karl Foerster ’ grow to about 18 inches wide and only about 2 to 3 feet magniloquent , but when the flush stems are at their peak they stomach intimately 5 feet tall , fluttering like butterflies in the breeze . It tolerates full sunlight to partial shade and any type of ground except a bog . ‘ Karl Foerster ’ is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9 , but south of Zone 7 it ’s not at its best . This cool - time of year grass rest evergreen plant ( actually , ever - bronze ) in mild wintertime and work well as a covert , as a specimen , and as a container plant life with other perennial or annuals . It ’s sufficiently cold - hardy to winter in a green goddess in most area .

Since this hybrid is unimaginative , there is virtually no chance of its escaping and becoming a bane on the landscape . To propagate ‘ Karl Foerster ’ , divide a single mature clump , but be prepared for a act of a wrestling match when trying to crowbar offspring from a mature plant . To cede flush the first year , sectionalization should have half a dozen growing points ; if divisions are small they may take two geezerhood to flower . The better time to plant is in the gloaming ; however , early - spring unremarkably function as well . Plants can be disregard back to about 6 to 9 in in late winter or former bound .

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