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Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

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© RHS 1997

Characteristics

Plant type

Grass-like

Habit

Tufted

Resilience

Hardiness

old H4 (hardy)

Colour

Flower

Bronze in Summer
Pale Brown in Autumn

Foliage

Green in Autumn, Spring and Summer

Size

Ultimate height

1-1.5 metres

Ultimate spread

0.5-1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2-5 years


Preferred common name

feather reed-grass 'Karl Foerster'

Family

Poaceae


Calamagrostis are robust rhizomatous perennial grasses, forming tufts of linear leaves, with erect stems bearing dense branching flowering panicles in summer

'Karl Foerster' is a clump-forming deciduous perennial grass with flat, arching leaves to 90cm in length, and bronze flowering panicles that fade to pale brown

Other common names

  • feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster'

Synonym(s)

  • Calamagrostis 'Stricta'

How to grow

Sunlight

  • Full sun
  • Part shade

Aspect

  • South-facing, North-facing, West-facing or East-facing
  • Exposed or Sheltered

Cultivation

Easy to grow in most moist, humus-rich, well-drained fertile soils, but will tolerate all but the poorest soils

Soil

  • Well-drained or Moist but well-drained
  • Acid, Alkaline or Neutral
  • Loam, Chalk, Sand or Clay

Propagation

Propagate by division in mid-spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural, Cottage/Informal Garden, Flower borders and beds, Low Maintenance or Prairie Planting


How to care

Pruning

Cut back old stems to the ground in early spring before growth resumes

Pests

Generally pest free

Diseases

May be affected by a rust