Beyond 'Karl Foerster'

It’s rank blasphemy to rank any ornamental grass higher than world-famous Calamagrostis xa. ‘Karl Foerster’. It is, after all, the first grass ever named Perennial Plant of the Year, and rightly so. It’s a handsome workhorse that makes a designer look like a genius. And it’s one of our top sellers. You won’t hear us dis it.

But we WILL say there are other options in that very same species that give you Karl’s legendary reliability in a fresh, different look: Stripes!

‘Eldorado’(PP16486) has been in our lineup for years. As you’d expect from a cultivar named for the legendary city of gold, it features a bold gold stripe down the center of each blade. Height 3 – 4’. Hardy in Zones 5 – 10.

‘Avalanche’ also lives up to its name with a band of snowy white per blade. Both put up silvery plumes in mid-summer that mature to handsome bronze. Height 3’. Hardy in Zones 4 – 10.

You can even pick the size that works best for your production protocols: ‘Eldorado’ and ‘Avalanche’ come in 38s and 72s. ‘Karl Foerster’ also comes in our massive 21-cell size, a depth charge that explodes in your pots. 

Fun Fact

The name El Dorado, “the golden one,” evolved in mythology from a man to a city and finally an empire. Sir Walter Raleigh of tobacco fame was among the adventurers who searched South America in vain for that golden prize. 

Stripes or solids, the finest in feather reed grass comes in liners from Emerald Coast Growers – the easy choice!