'Karl Foerster' Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis)
Perennial
- Compact grass with a striking impact!
- Feather reed grass creates a fast privacy screen.
- Easy to grow and thrives in nearly any soil.
- Long-lasting blooms add a contrast in texture.
- Zones 4-8, sun, 60" tall x 24" wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
In his book Designing with Plants, Piet Outdolf refers to Karl Foerster grass as "most upright of the grasses, which bends in the wind, making it almost weatherproof... spire-shaped flowerheads add lift to the garden, severing its bonds with the earth." This grass was introduced to the nursery trade in 1950 by German nurseryman Karl Foerster via Hamburg Botanical Garden. It came to the United States by way of Denmark in 1964. Wolfgang Oehme and Kurt Bluemel were influential in introducing this popular grass to the US market.
Details
Common name: Feather reed grass
Zone: 4 - 8
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun)
Height x width: 60" x 24"
Flower color: Tan
Foliage color: Green
Season of interest: Early summer
Bloom time: Midsummer, fall
Features: Winter interest, rain gardens, heat tolerant, dry soils, drought tolerant, deer resistant
Uses: Accent, background, border, container gardening, cottage gardening, foundation planting, hedge, massing, ornamental, privacy & screening
How to Grow
Light: Sun to part-sun. More sun exposure may increase blooms, but they do appreciate some shade in hot climates.
Water: Soils should be kept moist and not allowed to dry out.
Spacing: 2-3 ft.
Fertilizing: Most ornamental grasses need very little fertilizer. It is best to base any fertilizer applications on the results of a soil test.
Winterizing: No specific care is needed.
Maintenance & pruning: Cut clumps to the ground in late winter just before the new shoots appear. Clumps may be divided in spring every 4 to 5 years. If ornamental grasses are not divided, they eventually become thin or die out in the center.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
In my opinion as a gardener for 25+ years it is common practice in the horticulture industry to put up a plant. However, the plant should be established in the pot before selling it. These plugs were not grown in the pot long enough to establish a root system outside of the plug.
We’re sorry you’re not satisfied with your plants! On each product page and our plant sizes page, we note that all of our plants are young. The size of our plants varies depending on the time of year and whether they were recently trimmed. The most important thing when purchasing plants, online or in garden centers, is a full and robust root system, which we prioritize. Trimming only encourages stronger root development! All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee, so please reach out to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary.
Bought 12 plants last summer and every one of one them made it through a rough Montana prairie winter. Bonus! No deer ate them while they were destroying my yard and eating everything they could find. Highly recommend.
I was so impressed with the careful, secure packaging of these plants. They arrived in perfect condition and very healthy.
Arrived in great shape and has grown a ton since I planted it last fall. Love the texture and movement that it adds to my garden.
The plants were in great shape delivered very quick BUT the buy 3 get 1 free is very misleading I ordered 9 and got 0 for free I was thinking that I would have received 12 total in my delivery…. I did not😕
We're sorry for any confusion. Our friendly customer service team would love to clarify and further assist you. Please reach out to us with your order number. We look forward to helping!
I ordered 14 grass plants. 8 /10 tens of the plants were about the same size 4 /5 plants were quite a bit smaller. The smaller plants are almost dead vs the larger plants. All the plants are in the same plant bed. Same sun,same water.
Very disappointed.
We’re sorry you’re not satisfied with your plants! On each product page and our plant sizes page, we note that all of our plants are young. The size of our plants varies depending on the time of year and whether they were recently trimmed. The most important thing when purchasing plants, online or in garden centers, is a full and robust root system, which we prioritize. Trimming only encourages stronger root development! All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee, so please reach out to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary.
I'm so glad I ordered my new ornamental grasses from Great Garden Plants. They were healthy and ready to pop in the ground. The same day I received an order of a similar grass from another vendor and it was undersized and un-usable. The vendor provided me a refund but I missed the opportunity to plant before it got hot and now have a whole in my garden I can't fix until Fall. Obviously, I'll be placing my order in the fall and any making any future purchases with Great Garden Plants. The quality and customer service have been excellent.
Not sure yet same size as when shipped
My grasses have barely grown I. The moth that I have planted them. They look healthy just not growing.
Thank you for your feedback! It’s surprisingly normal for newly transplanted plants to appear like they aren’t growing. That’s because most of the growth occurs below ground in their first year as they allocate more energy to root development. Once your plant is established, it will start investing more in shoot and flower development. To learn more about how plants “sleep, creep, and leap”, read our FAQ here: https://bit.ly/FAQ-plant-growth
Plants were packaged extremely well. Very healthy, green and soil was still plenty damp. Excellent experience.
Planted one dozen of these to line my back fence. They all arrived in excellent condition and remain that way. Soaker hose arranged to make up for lack of rainfall for the first 6 weeks after planting. Also used tomato cages to keep the dog from running over them.
They are in excellent condition and we have finally gotten some significant rain. They are healthy and looking very good.
'Karl Foerster' Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis)
Healthy small plants - perfect
Arrived in great condition. Planting to reduce mowing space. Looking forward to spring when it really gets growing.
All planted well see how they grow they looked like great plants
well packaged and they arrived in healthy condition.
Grass is doing well and has new growth
I was really impressed by how the plants were shipped. They took care with packaging the plants. All the plants survived after planting. Very happy with our Karl Foester Grasses
Small but plenty of time to grow
I bought four oriental grass plants. They came in perfect shape and they’re doing well. They look great.
Great service. We had the plants in the blink of an eye
The plants arrived OK but were barely above seedling stage. You would think for that kind of money they would be bigger.
We’re sorry you’re not satisfied with your plants! On each product page and our plant sizes page, we note that all of our plants are young. The size of our plants varies depending on the time of year and whether they were recently trimmed. The most important thing when purchasing plants, online or in garden centers, is a full and robust root system, which we prioritize. Trimming only encourages stronger root development! All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee, so please reach out to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary.
I’m really hoping that they make it. I planted them in my garden for the winter and plan to transplant early spring but they are almost all brown at this point.
We’re sorry you’re having trouble with your plants! Our team of horticulture experts would love to take a closer look! Our fall guarantee covers plants received after September 1 until May 2025, so we have you covered. Please send your order number and pictures of your plants to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
Plants arrived quickly and in great condition. Excellent people to do business with; thanks
They arrived in good condition but very small.
We’re sorry you’re not satisfied with your plants! On each product page and our plant sizes page, we note that all of our plants are young. The size of our plants varies depending on the time of year and whether they were recently trimmed. The most important thing when purchasing plants, online or in garden centers, is a full and robust root system, which we prioritize. Trimming only encourages stronger root development! All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee, so please reach out to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary.
I'm delighted with the 2 dozen little KF Feather Reed Grass plants that I bought from Great Garden Plants. Several years ago, I planted 6 of these near boxwood in mixed beds in the front yard. I love their graceful movement and non-invasive behavior. I wanted more, but found only a few locally (and they were expensive.) I took a chance and ordered 24 little ones. I'm delighted. They are off to a good start. They'll grow to fill gaps in my mixed beds and look like a million bucks!
4 of the plants died after planting. The others are doing fine.
We're sorry you're having trouble with your plants! Our friendly team of expert horticulturists would love to take a closer look at the plants. Please contact us at [email protected] with your order number and photos of the plants so we may best assist you. All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee! We appreciate your feedback and look forward to helping. https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
How large are the Karl Forrester plants when they ship?
Plant size varies widely depending on the variety that you purchase and the time of year. The important thing when it comes to purchasing plants, whether online or in a garden center, is that they have a full, robust root system, and that's what we prioritize in our growing. The more roots a plant has, the more energy it can put into growing once it is planted in your garden.