CALAMAGROSTIS: Yipes! Stripes! Beyond ‘Karl Foerster’
Posted by John Friel on Dec 9th 2021
It’s practically blasphemy to rank any ornamental grass higher than world-famous Calamagrostis xa. ‘Karl Foerster’. It was the first grass ever named Perennial Plant of the Year, and rightly so. With sturdy vertical foliage and feathery plumes, it’s a handsome workhorse that makes a designer look like a genius. Not surprisingly, it’s among our top sellers. You’ll never hear us dis it.
But we WILL say there are other options in the very same species that bring that same legendary reliability – all are hardy in at least Zones 5 – 10 – along with a bright, fresh look: Stripes!
‘Avalanche’ lives up to its name with a band of snowy white per blade. Silvery plumes in mid-summer mature to handsome bronze. Height 3’.
Eldorado’(PP16486) 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’.
This beautiful variegated form features crisp, uniform green and white stripes and a refined habit. Our own introduction! Height: 3 – 4’.
is the original variegated form, part of our lineup almost since the beginning. Creamy-white, vertical stripes. Height 4’ in flower.
Wide central stripes of creamy white edged in rich green. An ECG exclusive, it’s a tad shorter than the others at just 3’.
You can even pick the size that best fits your production protocols: We grow all varieties in 38s and 72s.
‘Karl Foerster’ also comes in our massive 21-cell size, a depth charge primed to explode in your pots -- or planted straight into the landscape.
Background: Prominent polymath plantsman Karl Foerster – author, breeder, designer, photographer – discovered his eponymous grass in 1930 and introduced it in 1950.
Deep Background: The name El Dorado, “the golden one,” was first applied to a mythical man, then a city, and finally an empire. Sir Walter Raleigh of tobacco fame was among the adventurers who searched South America in vain for that gleaming Grail.
Stripes and solids, new and known, the finest in feather reed grass comes in liners from Emerald Coast Growers – your easy choice!