Illustration
Feather Reed Grass
Calamagrostis × acutiflora
Also comes in yellow.
Feather Reed Grass blooms from June through August.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Feather Reed Grass
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–9. Expect it to reach about 5 ft tall and 2 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (a house reading).
Pets
- No toxic listing found for dogs and cats in the sources we check.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
No toxicity note is on file for Feather Reed Grass. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Feather Reed Grass
Plant Feather Reed Grass in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to August.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Feather Reed Grass get?
5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult2 ftwideSee Feather Reed Grass in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Feather Reed Grass
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Feather Reed Grass about 2 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Feather Reed Grass to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Feather Reed Grass' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 6 published sources on October 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- plantdatabase.kpu.caKwantlen Polytechnic Universityheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionHort Answersheight, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- ag.missouristate.eduMissouri State Universitysun and bloom months and color
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 3 varieties
Same plant, same care - pick the variety you are growing.
Across the group, bloom runs from June through August: Avalanche Feather Reed Grass opens first (June) and Eldorado is the last to finish (August).
Compare every variety in the Feather Reed Grass group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | Foliage | Jun–Jul | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 4.5 ft × 2 ft |
| Eldorado | Foliage | Jun–Aug | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 4.5 ft × 2.5 ft |
| Feather Reedthis page | Purple | Jun–Aug | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 5 ft × 2 ft |
| Overdam | Foliage | Jun–Aug | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 4.5 ft × 1.5 ft |
Good to know about Feather Reed Grass
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
The named cultivars like 'Karl Foerster' are sterile: they set no viable seed, so the grass never self-sows or turns weedy the way some seeding reedgrasses can. per NC State and Wisconsin
Zone range varies by source
Reliable core is 5 to 9; it is cold-hardy to zone 4, reportedly zone 3. The warm end 11 is an outlier, so 9 is the safer limit. per NC State and Wisconsin
How hard to cut back
Most sources cut the clump to the ground or about 6 inches; NC State advises leaving about a third, warning that too harsh a cut can set it back. per NC State and Wisconsin
Perennial Plant of the Year
'Karl Foerster' was the first ornamental grass named Perennial Plant of the Year, in 2001, for reliable looks, long-lasting plumes, and easy care. per Wisconsin and Missouri
Handles clay and wet soil
It takes heavy clay, moist to wet ground, and dry sites alike, so it suits pond edges, rain gardens, and clay spots that defeat most grasses. per NC State
Deer and rabbit resistant
Browsing deer and rabbits leave it alone; it is consistently listed as not favored by them. per NC State
Needs full sun to stand
The stiff, upright form that is its whole selling point depends on full sun; in shade it grows weak, flops, and flowers poorly. per NC State
What pairs well with Feather Reed Grass
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Autumn Crocus
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early fall as this one finishes; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Possumhaw Holly
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; taller at 12 ft, for the layer behind it.
Creeping Phlox
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Windflower
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Dwarf Fothergilla
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; lower at 2.5 ft, for the front of the border.
Sweetgum
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; yellow against purple, for contrast.
Wisteria
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; climbs to 26 ft behind it, height without the footprint.
Grape Hyacinth
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; low at 8 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
All 8 companion pairings for Feather Reed Grass →
Try Feather Reed Grass with its top companions in a garden →
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