Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ - Reed Grass

I love a good ornamental grass. I saw Calamagrostis nutkaensis, Pacific Reed Grass naturally along the coast in Sea Ranch and its hard not to reach out and touch it.  Although the nutkaensis variety is what I saw along the coast, I haven’t seen that variety in Southern California readily available.

INSTEAD! Look for Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’. It grows to be about 5’ tall and 2’ wide with the golden brown/red spikes blooming from about spring-fall (ish) time. Like a lot of grasses, you can give it a good shearing in the winter. It prefers moist soils and full sun, but after established can handle dry spells well and even some part shade. Does it sound like a good option? That’s because it is!  It does get pretty tall, so I would use it in the background of your grassy meadow for some vertical interest or as a semi-private screening plant. It works in USDA zones 5-9. How do you think you will use this plant in your design? Let me know!

Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' : Source