Plants
Reed Grass
Calamagrostis · Poaceae
Feather reed grass is the rock among ornamental grasses: strictly upright, steadfast in any weather and a dependable structure from its June flowering into winter. The cultivar „Karl Foerster“ is one of the most widely planted grasses in the world — entirely deservedly. We buy our plants in robust nursery quality directly at the Veiling Rhein-Maas.
- Light
- Sunny to partially shaded; full sun gives the sturdiest stems.
- Watering
- Moderate; copes with normal garden moisture, only offset long droughts.
- Care level
- Easy
- Botanical
- Calamagrostis
„Karl Foerster“ (Calamagrostis x acutiflora) carries the name of the great perennial breeder who introduced the grass in the 1930s. It flowers early for a grass — from June, rosy-brown panicles rise up, drying over summer into narrow straw-yellow columns that stand until February.
A major practical advantage: the cultivar is sterile and does not self-seed. If you want to play it safe, choose it over seed-happy grasses. Its sister cultivar „Overdam“ is lower and has white-striped foliage that stays brighter in partial shade.
Unlike many steppe grasses, reed grass also tolerates heavier, loamy soils and short spells of moisture — making it the most reliable vertical grass for ordinary garden soil. Only permanent waterlogging and deep shade disagree with it.
As a design element it is the classic framework grass of modern planting schemes: as a rhythmically repeated column in prairie borders, as a loose hedge, as screening in containers. Against coneflowers, echinacea and helenium its upright line forms a calm counterpoint, and rimed with hoarfrost the winter-yellow grass is a picture in itself.
We also cut the narrow panicles for the workshop: fresh as a line in large summer bouquets, dried as lasting structure in everlasting work. They barely shed and hold their shape for months — an honest, uncomplicated material.
Is Reed Grass toxic to children and pets?
- Children
- Non-toxic
- Cats
- Non-toxic
- Dogs
- Non-toxic
Reed grass is non-toxic to cats, dogs and children. The blades are rather rough and sharp-edged though — extensive nibbling can mechanically irritate mouth and throat, but nothing about it is poisonous.
Overview: toxic & non-toxic plants for cats, dogs and children
Care
- 01Choose a sunny to at most partially shaded position.
- 02Ordinary garden soil is fine; the grass also tolerates loamy ground.
- 03Water regularly in the planting year; once established only in long dry spells.
- 04Cut back a hand-width above the ground in late winter, around February.
- 05Give a little compost in spring — the grass needs no further feeding.
- 06Divide every few years in spring if the clump grows too wide or goes bald in the centre.
Frequently asked
- When do you cut back reed grass?
- In late winter, usually February, before the early new growth begins — „Karl Foerster“ shoots noticeably earlier than other grasses. Cut a hand-width above the ground; until then the standing stems are winter ornament and winter protection in one.
- Does reed grass self-seed in the garden?
- The garden cultivar „Karl Foerster“ does not — it is a sterile hybrid and reliably stays where you plant it. That distinguishes it from the wild wood small-reed, which spreads aggressively by runners and seed and has no place in a border.
- Is reed grass suitable as screening in containers?
- Yes, very well. At around 1.5 metres tall, with narrow upright growth and early development, „Karl Foerster“ is one of the best container grasses for terraces. What matters is a big enough pot from about 30 litres, regular watering and winter protection for the container.
- Is reed grass toxic to dogs or cats?
- No, Calamagrostis is non-toxic. Animals chewing on the rough blades can at most mechanically irritate their mouths. For gardens and terraces with pets the grass is an unproblematic choice.