This grass is electric! Variegated white and green bolts of grass blades shoot up from the ground in early spring with the Lightning Strike® Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Lightning Strike’) then soften and move elegantly in the wind to create a two-tone wave of motion in the landscape!
The 3-foot tall ornamental cool-season grass creates a mounding, arching and flowing form! Green flowers begin to emerge to cover the tops in early summer, turning shades of pink and purple as the season progresses. The foliage and flowers dry on the plant, creating lovely fall and winter interest as well.
Feather Reed Grasses like this are cold and heat-tolerant throughout USDA growing zones 4 to 9, and tolerate a variety of growing conditions, from full sun to part shade and wet to dry conditions. Deer and rabbits tend to leave them alone, giving you an all-round versatile and adaptable perennial grass to enjoy without worry!
Planting and Application:
These grasses are used around water gardens and water features to create a soft and flowing element that matches their Zen-inspiring surroundings. Ideal as a specimen because of its bold white and green stripes, Lightning Strike® adds a bit of pizzazz to the landscape! Ideal as a flowy backdrop for perennials and garden edges.
Feather Reed grasses will add a new architectural dimension wherever they are planted! Plant the easy-living Lightning Strike® grass in a full to partial sun area en masse, along borders and tops of retaining walls to soften the edges, or even as excellent specimen plants! Even containers and planters gain a soft and elegant spiller and colorful filler!
- White & Green Variegation
- Easy to Grow Cool-Season Grass
- Nearly Year-Round Interest
- Floral Design & Container Gardens!
- Flowing Elegant Specimens, En Masse, Drifts & Around Water Features
Tips for Care:
Feather Reed Grass can withstand the full sun as well as partial shade. Growing best in dry conditions once established, Reed grasses also do well in moist to average sites, with summer moisture access best to keep them looking their best. Choose a location with rich moist soil, but these adaptable grasses can also take dry, poor soils, even clay. Minimal maintenance is required, as it’s deer and pest resistant, along with good disease resistance! You can prune in early spring, and divide your mature Lightning Strike® Feather Reed Grass after a few years of growth in late winter to early spring as well. This will help create healthier plants overall.
- Full Sun & Partial Shade
- Thrives in Moist to Dry Sites Once Established
- Rich Well-Drained Soil
- Prune Early Spring
- Deer & Rabbit Resistant
- Flowing ribbons of dramatic variegated leaves and pink plumes!
