Karl Foerster is one of the most dependable ornamental grasses for northern gardens. It forms a narrow, upright clump that sends up tall, wheat-like plumes in late spring, and those plumes stay standing and attractive through summer, fall and winter.
It reaches about 5 feet tall but only 2 feet wide, so it adds strong vertical lines without taking over. It does not reseed, handles heavy clay and makes a great backdrop, screen or cut and dried stem.
What it looks like
Narrow green blades about ¼ inch wide form a dense, upright clump about 2 to 3 feet tall. In late spring slender stems shoot straight up to about 5 feet, topped by narrow, feathery plumes that open with a soft pinkish-purple tint and ripen to golden wheat-tan. The plumes are tight and vertical, like narrow spires. The plant is about 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide in bloom. By midsummer the clump is a column of straight tan spikes over green leaves that sways in the wind.
Growing it with lavender
Karl Foerster loves full sun like lavender, and a row of its straight, wheat-colored plumes makes a classic tall backdrop behind lavender, with its plumes already up when the lavender blooms.
Care
Plant in full sun in almost any soil, including heavy clay; it tolerates dry spells once established. Hardy in zones 4 to 8. Cut back to about 6 inches in early spring before new growth starts, and divide in spring or fall if needed.
At a glance
-
Botanical name: Calamagrostis × acutiflora
-
Flower color: Pinkish purple ripening to wheat tan
-
Foliage: Medium green
-
Growth habit: Narrow, upright clump
-
Mature size: 5 ft tall × 24 in wide
-
USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
-
Light: full sun
-
Bloom start: Mid-June
-
Peak bloom: Late-June
-
Bloom pattern: Single Flush
-
Deer resistance: Resistant
-
Pollinator value: Low
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.
Lavender companion · grow guide
Community Grower Report
