Molinia caerulea ssp. arundinacea 'Karl Foerster'

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Price:  £4.50 –+ Add to Basket Family:  Poaceae Main Season:  Summer Flower Colour:  Brown Leaf Colour:  Green Foliage:  Deciduous Position:  Sun Soil Type:  Good, moist, humus-rich Height:  1.8m to 2.4m (6' to 8') Peat Free?  Yes Hardiness Guide:  RHS H7 minimum at least -20C Pot Size:  9cm Availability:      Approx. 49 in stock View our Pot Size guide:

One of the taller forms with purple tinted, green flowers to 2.2m in late summer. Bright yellow autumn stems.

A good, upright, grower this is a useful cultivar if you want something with a slightly more "heavy" presence than some of the very airy flowered forms.  Molinia caerulea ssp. arundinacea 'Karl Foerster' makes a big clump of light green leaves and produces masses of flowers from June each year.  The clump of foliage can get to about 60cm high and across while the flowers are typically between 2.1m and 2.4m.

In the summer and early autumn you can be forgiven for thinking it is a bit dull!  A solid clump of green foliage and flowers, but as the temperatures drop into autumn the green will give way to a clear buttery yellow on the leaves, stems and seedheads and it is at this time, for about 8 weeks in a good year, that it is at it's best.

Full sun and a reasonable soil that does not dry out too much are all that is needed.

As far as we can tell, Karl Foerster named this plant for himself!