A Guide to Feather Reed Ornamental Grass

Add vertical interest to your property with this flowering grass.

Interest and use of Ornamental Grasses have exploded in recent years! And we fully understand why as there are so many exciting varieties to choose from. Ornamental grasses add texture, movement, height and long season colour to our gardens – something that many other plants can’t offer. They are an essential complement to shrubs, trees, perennials and hardscapes. Just a little annual maintenance prepares your grasses for another wonderful show. Ornamental grasses truly are spectacular additions to any garden or landscape!

We have listed some of the more popular varieties – please call for any questions on these or any others.

Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora)
Feather Reed Grass are especially appealing because of the erect clumps of narrow green leaves and in the summer feature stiff flowering stalks. They can grow anywhere from 3’ to 6’ adding exceptional vertical interest to your landscape, even in winter when they are frosted and twinkling in the winter sun. You have probably seen them planted in common areas of streets boulevards or parking lots because require very little maintenance to retain its sculpted appearance. The hybrid varieties that we stock such as Karl Foerster, are both easy to grow and non-invasive. A few popular varieties:

Korean Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha)
This ornamental grass is a warm season variety that is upright with an arching habit. This variety prefers a shady area but will tolerate full sun with adequate water. Pink tinged flower plumes appear in late summer. Glossy green leaves turn a yellow-gold in fall. This grass will grow 3’-4’ tall and 2’-3’ wide. It does well in most soil conditions, even clay soils though it does need to be kept moist. This grass should be cut down to the ground in late winter or very early spring. This hardy grass is disease and deer resistant.

Avalanche

Attractive grassy leaves are green with showy white variegation. Features bold plumes of rose flowers rising above the foliage in mid summer. Tan seed heads on showy plumes in abundance from late summer to late winter.

Karl Foerster

Creates a dramatic garden accent, with tall, slender, vertical growth and feathery plumes of shifting bronze color that stay in place year-round. An early bloomer and a cool season grass that grows most rapidly in the spring season. Non-stop enjoyment all year.

Eldorado

A stunning ornamental grass with narrow leaves unmistakably golden and green. Feathery pale purple plumes rise above the plant in in an upright arching habit in mid summer. They turn a rich wheat color in fall and into winter for year-round interest.

Overdam

Distinctive creamy white stripes with green variegation along the length of its leaves. A cool-season grower. Tolerates heat & humidity when planted in part shade, but it prefers the coolness of northern nights. Stunning in masses, single or borders.

Korean Feather Reed Grass

This ornamental grass is a warm season variety that is upright with an arching habit. This variety prefers a shady area but will tolerate full sun with adequate water. Pink tinged flower plumes appear in late summer. Glossy green leaves turn a yellow-gold in fall. This grass will grow 3’-4’ tall and 2’-3’ wide. It does well in most soil conditions, even clay soils though it does need to be kept moist. This grass should be cut down to the ground in late winter or very early spring. This hardy grass is disease and deer resistant.

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