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Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Avalanche’

Feather reed grass

Botanical name: Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Avalanche'
Common name: Feather reed grass
Family: Poaceae
Plant Type: Perennial, Deciduous

Flower colour:

Green

Pink

Foliage colour:

Variegation

Key features:
Autumn colour
Dramatic foliage

Feather reed grass, Calamagrostis x acutiflora, is an upright grass with good year-round interest, bearing feathery plumes in summer and bleached stems catching frost through winter. Its architectural shape lends it to use as a striking focal point in gardens. It can form clumps of stems up to 2m high if grown in moist soil.

A variegated form of Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Avalanche’ has deep green leaves with a white stripe down the centre – the opposite variegation of Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’. They form a neat clump and turn a buff colour in autumn. produces narrow plumes of feathery, pinkish-green flowers in late summer, which also fade to a buff colour.

Grow Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Avalanche’ in moist but well-drained soil in groups in a mixed border, or en masse to form a large, dramatic screen. In early spring, cut it back to around 12cm to allow new growth to emerge.