Korean feather reed grass

Questions about Korean feather reed grass

Does Korean feather reed grass need sun or shade?

Korean feather reed grass grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).

It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does Korean feather reed grass grow in?

USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does Korean feather reed grass flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers late August to mid October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should Korean feather reed grass be planted?

24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (75 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many Korean feather reed grass plants do I need?

At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is Korean feather reed grass poisonous to dogs and cats?

No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.

"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.

Is there a native plant like Korean feather reed grass?

Korean feather reed grass comes from Temperate Eurasia, New Guinea. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Garden phlox 'Jeana': the same size and the same colour; a drift, not a specimen, flowers mid July to mid September.
• Swamp milkweed: the same size and the same colour; a drift, not a specimen, flowers early July to early August.
• White snakeroot 'Chocolate': the same flowering time; a drift, not a specimen, 8 in shorter.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat Korean feather reed grass?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

What flowers after Korean feather reed grass?

Korean feather reed grass is over by mid October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': from early November to late December, 10 ft tall.
• Common witch hazel: from mid October to late November, 15 ft tall.

What does Korean feather reed grass look like in winter?

Korean feather reed grass turns the colour of straw and, left uncut, stands through the winter, with seed for the birds. Cut it down in late winter, before the new shoots come up.

Is Korean feather reed grass good for bees and butterflies?

Korean feather reed grass is visited by songbirds.