December Perennial of the Month-Karl Foerster feather reed grass

There are so many choices when it comes to ornamental grasses. New cultivars appear every year, and it’s hard to tell one from the other sometimes without a tag, even harder to figure out which will work in your garden situation. One that’s been around since the 1950s is the feather reed grass cultivar, ‘Karl Foerster’, Calamagrostis × acutiflora’ Karl Foerster.’

Karl’s been around a long time for a reason. He works! The foliage clump is usually around 2′ high and wide, with the flower heads reaching 5-6′ by late summer and standing toy soldier-straight, unlike the other vase-shaped or rounded ornamental grasses. Karl prefers full sun, but afternoon shade is fine. Karl likes it a bit on the wet side when it comes to soil moisture but will tolerate drier soil. Like other ornamental grasses, a haircut in late winter or early spring is necessary. Other than that, it’s super low maintenance.

What I love about this plant– The super-low maintenance, the GREAT winter interest providing you don’t cut them down in the fall! Great for a vertical form in designs. The smaller size compared to other grasses. Tolerates wet areas. The seed heads are sterile (volunteers won’t pop up all over your garden).

What’s not so great: The once-a-year haircut isn’t fun, but this grass is more manageable than others.

Words and photos by Jo Batzer

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