Calamagrostis
at Digging Dog

Including Calamagrostis x acutiflora, Calamagrostis foliosa, & Calamagrostis brachytricha

Calamagrostis

Extremely tough, undemanding and hardy, this truly all-purpose grass brings bold, erect lines to the garden spectrum.

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Avalanche’  

This distinctive newcomer is a variegated form of Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ first spotted by Steve Schmidt at American Ornamental Perennials. Showcasing dramatically striped foliage, the medium-sized clumps spring to life as a hefty white central band bordered by narrow green margins embellishes each blade. Topped with an airy aura of rose-tinged green plumes that later take on warm, golden hues, ‘Avalanche’s straight-up stance forges a compelling specimen, or when planted en masse, a boldly patterned screen. Zone 4/5. (PPAF)

Blooms May–January.

Size: 5' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 5.

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Avalanche’ (g-0469)
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Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’  

Karl Foerster’s Feather Reed Grass

Named for pioneering German nurseryman Karl Foerster, this selection bears loose and airy 12 in. seed heads, which tighten to slender plumes by midsummer. Rising above 2 ft. clumps of narrow green foliage, the inflorescences create an ideal semitransparent veiling effect. Plant with deep green Viburnums to accentuate its golden flowering stems.

Blooms May–January.

Size: 5' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 5.

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ (g-0003)
Each $7.75
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Calamagrostis brachytricha  

Korean Feather Reed Grass

Warmed by rosy maroon plumes, Calamagrostis brachytricha is native to the moist woodlands of eastern Asia. The inflorescences stay open and feathery, even when they dry, and eventually pale to an elegant silvery gray. Magical both in an arrangement or outside when the wind blows, the panicles leap from a clump of glossy green, upright and arching blades. This warm season grass exhibits a smaller stature, making it well suited for a container.

Blooms September.

Size: 4' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4.

Calamagrostis brachytricha (g-0067)
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Calamagrostis foliosa      

Cape Mendocino Reed Grass

Garnished by violet tinges, low loose mounds of glaucous blue-gray blades generally remain throughout the year and set this cool season California native apart from other North American Calamagrostis species. Slender tapering pinkish purple panicles sojourn just above the relaxed foliage in a lovely fountainlike fashion and by early summer adopt luminous flaxen hues.

Cape Mendocino Reed Grass is unhappy where it’s hot, appreciates summer irrigation and can be massed as an artful ground cover or peppered throughout a mixed border planting or a naturalized meadow.

Blooms May – November.

Size: 18" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 8.

Calamagrostis foliosa (G-0044)
Each $7.75
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