Look forward to the golden months of September and October, when the low sunshine flickers through the gently swaying, bronze-tinged feathery panicles of intensly calming Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster'. These linear flowers are produced in summer, when newly emerged they’re particularly reed-like – narrow and more cream in colour, which also creates a great effect in a border planting scheme, gravel garden or large container. It’s later in the season that they start to adopt a more relaxed and fluffy appearance which is gentle, soft and extraordinarily beautiful. Often, Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' still look wonderful in winter too. Months of interest from one plant is absolutely something to treasure.  

If you like creating indoor arrangement with flowers, dried or fresh, you’ll find it useful to have a good clump of Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' to hand. Bunch them together with fresh-cut summer or autumn flowers of any kind, or use them to make festive dried winter arrangements.  Those parchment-coloured flowers in summer look great among dahlias, Verbena, Salvia and Perovskia in a border, this hardy ornamental grass also works exceptionally well in a prairie style planting scheme. Swaying gently in a light summer breeze, they will add movement, texture and structure to your garden. Position them so that their feathery inflorescences catch the early morning or late evening sun, for a real ‘wow’ factor.  Of course, you’ll need to allow time for your bare root Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' to establish, but enjoying watching your plants develop is what gardening is all about!