Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass

Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster') is one of the world's most popular garden grasses. This handsome grass works hard in your landscape and asks for little in return.

These tall, narrow plants draw the eye as exclamation points. They are ideal for adding vertical definition to your landscape.

In late summer, they'll grow bold, blonde flower spikes. You'll love the gleaming sunlight shining on the developing seed heads. Each one rises above the strongly upright blades that grow straight up from the ground.

Use one Karl Foerster as an accent grass in a prominent place. Or, use multiple plants to create a featured focal point.

Feather Reed Grasses are nicknamed "motion grass" because it sways in the slightest breeze. The heavy fall seed heads of Karl Foerster bend and sway, to and fro in the breeze and whip back and forth in heavier wind. Their kinetic energy brings a dynamic element to your landscape design.

Easy to grow, this ornamental grass is known for its rugged yellow plumes and glossy, deep green leaf blades. The overall shape of Karl Foerster is quite formal and very attractive. They'll remain tall and straight even after heavy rains or winds.

As the seed heads mature in fall, they transition from bright yellow to mellow hues of gold and tan. These seed heads also provide a welcome source of food and shelter for local bird populations over the winter, so leave them standing until early spring.

With no serious pest or disease problems, it's easy to see why Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass was named Perennial of the Year in 2001. With its perpetual motion, formal plumes and lively growth habit, Karl Foerster is sure to keep you entertained throughout the seasons.

Add this wonderful ornamental grass to your landscape. You'll be enthralled with its handsome good looks. Order yours today!

How to Use Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass in the Landscape

Because this grass is very controlled and low maintenance, it is quite often used in commercial landscapes where you most often find it planted in mass or in narrow spaces as a fill plant.

Karl Foerster is a great low maintenance plant. This versatile selection looks great in the garden border, as an effective background for perennial beds, massed together in perfect military precision, or used in a long, natural drift.

Want an easy focal point? Line the perimeter of a geometric planting bed with a low, evergreen Boxwood hedge. Then, fill the center with Karl Foerster planted 2 feet on center. This spectacular nod to ancient garden design feels very fresh and modern.

We recommend using one plant or using lots and lots of them together.

Add dash and flair to an old evergreen tree. Boost the excitement of a sunny bend in your garden path by using a single plant as an accent.

And why not plant that single plant in a large ornamental container? You'll easily elevate the look and inject your personal style through your design choices.

Add another container and flank them on either side of your front door for a very sophisticated look.

Use multiple Karl Foerster plants to reflect the sunlight, catch the breeze and create excitement to highlight changes in elevation or to ease transitions. Use along the path between two destinations.

Create a high-impact look along a walkway with a staggered double row planted in a zig-zag pattern. Yes, you could just use one plant deep, but why not be big? Be bold with this selection!

A wider double hedgerow really creates a statement. Even if you have to shorten up the planting to stay on budget, you'll appreciate how several Karl Foerster plants work together to create excitement.

Add another row or two to create a mass planting to fill a wide, bare spot. Keep the plants spaced two feet apart (measuring from center to center) for best performance. Like a disciplined army, a precise row of Karl Foerster reads like individual soldiers working in an effective team.

Can you imagine the Memorials or special remembrance spaces you could create using this plant? Add a bench and a special weeping flowering tree for a place you'll visit time and time again to pay tribute to your loved ones.

Or, create a natural look by changing the geometric, massed zig-zagged planting design into a long, skinny drift planting design. Simply taper either end down to a single plant. In the middle of your drift planting, create depth by doubling or tripling up the plants. Keep things loose and natural with curving lines in a naturalized drift.

Study the celebrated gardens of Piet Oudouf, a world-famous garden designer who makes Karl Foerster sing in these types of fantastic, long drifts. Use these ideas for your home landscape and enjoy!

The blooms are also popular as cut flowers and really make a great compliment in a mixed cut flower arrangement. Dry the stalks for a long-lasting winter display.

#ProPlantTips for Care

This hardy grass adapts well to a variety of soils and conditions. Unlike many ornamental grasses that self-seed, Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass does not self-seed—so you don't have to worry about it becoming invasive.

For best results, give these cool season grasses a spot in full sun or partial shade. In hot, dry climates, the Karl Foerster benefits from a location with morning sun and late shade.

But too much shade can decrease the number of blooms and make the foliage floppy. This grass is a sun-lover.

Karl Foerster likes to be planted in well-drained soil. However, it is adapted to a wide range of soil conditions from somewhat wet to dry.

Once established, this grass is drought tolerant and very popular in low water, water-wise and xeriscape gardens. Include a 3 to 4 inch layer of mulch to keep roots cool and cut down on surface evaporation.

We recommend leaving the foliage and seed heads up all winter. Enjoy the winter interest delivered by this beautiful, award-winning grass. Leave those plumes up all winter long!

When you see the first, bright green blades appear in early spring, choose a nice day for your annual pruning task. Grab gloves and see if you can rope in a friend to help make it fun.

Grab a tarp or a few yard bags and a sharp garden saw. Gather all of last year's growth together and hold it in one hand.

Make long, even strokes with the saw in your other hand to saw through the whole clump right at ground level. Bag or compost the old foliage.

Enjoy the surge of new spring growth. Ornamental grasses are fun to watch all year-long, from their lush summer foliage to the high impact of the golden flower stalks and seed heads in autumn. Even the buff, dry old growth sculpts the winter snow and adds interest.

Do a little or do a lot in your yard—but do something! Karl Foerster is a workhorse that performs beautifully in modern, rustic or formal design styles. Lean on this plant, he's up to the task. Order today!