Otherwise known as “Feather Reed Grass”, this hardy perennial grass is a vertical powerhouse in the garden at 3 to 4 feet tall. It draws they eye upward and breaks up a daylily garden (for example) where everything is the same height and shape. Weather used as a specimen or to naturalize in mass, it does equally well in a boggy area as it does in dry garden soil. It is one of the first to start growing in spring and one of the first to produce seed heads. The seed heads change colors throughout the season and hold through the winter. Karl is one of the best plants for winter interest in the garden. They are sterile so you won’t get seedlings all over the place and they are also great for arrangements. The way it moves in the wind is also spectacular.
Tag: Grass
This native perennial is 2-3 feet tall with iris or cattail like leaves rising up directly from a rhizome. You can tell them apart as these will have a mid-rib. Some leaves will have a spadix grow from them. These are 2-4” long, semi-circular and covered with green/yellow flowers in a diamond pattern. The crushed leaves or root stock has an unforgettable scent. These plants like to grow with wet feet but will do fine in a garden situation. They even live over the winter in pots. They creep by the roots stock but are not difficult to remove if you get too many. They will creep slower in drier soils. Acorus has been used medicinally in the past but please enjoy it only in your garden for its gorgeous upright form as recent studies have found that some varieties are carcinogenic.