Calamagrostis Karl Foester

Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ is a clump-forming ornamental grass prized for its strong, upright habit and long-lasting plumes. Tidy clumps of narrow green leaves send up rigid stems topped with feathery purple-brown flower panicles from early summer, maturing to warm straw tones that stand through autumn and provide winter structure. Excellent as vertical punctuation in mixed borders, for planting in rhythmic drifts, or as a slim screen where space is tight. For best results in Irish gardens, grow in full sun in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil, and cut back old stems to the base in late winter or early spring as new shoots appear.

To help give a clear sense of scale, the stone wall shown in our photos measures approximately 265cm in height. We also use familiar garden tools as visual references: a digging fork (110cm tall) and a hand fork (30cm tall). These are included purely as size guides to help you better judge proportions when viewing the images.

Position: Full sun

Rate of Growth: Moderate

Soil: Moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil

Hardiness: Fully hardy

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Plant at a Glance