Calamagrostis emodensis

Calamagrostis emodensis is an ornamental grass from the Himalaya. It forms a loose clump of fresh green, gently arching leaves, from which long flower stems rise from July. The soft, silvery pink plumes bend gracefully and fall like a fountain over the foliage; later in the season they turn cream to light brown. Unlike the well-known, stiffly upright feather reed grass ‘Karl Foerster’, this grass has a soft, weeping shape. Gardeners value it because it also grows well in light shade and needs little work.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Sun or partial shade
preferably some sun
Moisture
Normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Sand, loam or clay
neutral to chalky
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -20 °C
Size
1 m
tall, 0.8 m wide
Flowering
July–September

Key facts
Pruning months	March
Height	1 m
Native to Belgium	No, planted
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous
Flowering	July–September

Identify

Calamagrostis emodensis: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Loose, arching clump about 1 m tall and 80 cm wide, which slowly gets wider.
Leaves: Long, fairly broad and fresh green, gently arching; straw-coloured in autumn.
Flowers: Long, nodding panicles from July to September, silvery pink at first, later cream to light brown.
Roots: Fibrous; the grass stays a clump and does not run.

Flowering: July–September · Plants: March–May · Pruning: March

In your garden

Why grow it?

Soft, arching plumes that give a border a loose, natural look.
A long flowering season, from July to September, and the plumes stay attractive into autumn.
Grows in sun as well as light shade, which not every ornamental grass can do.
A graceful edging along a border or path, where the plumes spill over the edge.
Little work: one cut in March is enough.

Calamagrostis emodensis: where does it grow best?

Sun or light shade; in deep shade it flowers little and flops.
Any good garden soil: sand, loam or clay, neutral to chalky, ideally rich in humus.
Normally moist: it dislikes long droughts, but also wet feet.
Allow 70–80 cm per plant; along the edge of a border or path, let the plumes arch over freely.

Light: Sun and partial shade
Soil type: Sand, loam or clay
Acidity: Neutral or chalky
Moisture: Normal
Size: 1 m tall, 0.8 m wide
Hardiness: Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

Japanese anemone: Flowers at the same time in late summer and also likes light shade.
Hardy geranium: A low, flowering foreground beneath the arching plumes.
Red bistort: Red spikes from July into October beside the silvery pink plumes.
Michaelmas daisy: Purple and blue flowers in September–October.
Lady’s mantle: Fresh green leaves and lime-green flowers at the edge of the border.

Maintenance

Calamagrostis emodensis: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May.

Plant from March to May, so the grass has the whole summer to establish.
Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot and mix in some compost.
Set the clump at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil well.
Keep 70–80 cm between it and other plants.
Water in well straight away and keep the soil moist in the first year.
A thin layer of compost or leaf mould around the base keeps the soil moist.

Care

Watering: Regularly in the first year; after that during long dry spells, or the leaf tips will dry out.
Feeding: A thin layer of compost in April is enough. Too much fertiliser gives floppy stems.
Mulching: A layer of leaf mould in spring keeps the soil cool and moist.
Spent plumes: Leave them until they fall apart or until the cut in March.
Renewing: Divide an old clump with a bare centre in spring.

Tip: Plant it at the front of a raised border or along a low wall, so the plumes can really spill over: that is where the fountain effect looks its best.

Calamagrostis emodensis: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: In March, before the new leaves start to grow.

How:

Cut all old stems and leaves back to 10–15 cm above the ground.
Spare the young green leaves already coming from the centre.
If the plumes have already been flattened by rain in autumn, you can cut them off earlier; leave the leaves until March.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division: In March–April: cut the clump into pieces with a sharp spade, each with plenty of roots, and replant them straight away. Water well afterwards.
Seed: Sow in spring in a seed tray under glass and keep the seed moist. Plant out the young plants once they are sturdy.

Calamagrostis emodensis: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

Hardy to about −20 °C: in Belgium it survives most winters without any problem.
Leave the old leaves standing in winter: they protect the centre of the clump from frost and wet.
In a severe winter in an exposed spot, you can lay a layer of leaves around the base.
In a pot it is less hardy: stand the pot against a wall and wrap it in hessian.

Diseases and pests

Brown leaf tips: A sign of drought. Water generously in dry periods and mulch the soil.
Flopping: Caused by too much shade or too rich a soil. Choose a lighter spot and feed less.
Bare centre: In older clumps the middle dies. Divide the clump in spring and replant the vigorous outer pieces.
Flattened plumes: After heavy rain the plumes hang down to the ground. That is part of its weeping habit: give the grass a spot along an edge where it may spill over.

Through the year

March: Cut old leaves and stems back to 10–15 cm. Plant. Divide old clumps.
April: Plant. Give a thin layer of compost and mulch.
May: Plant. Water in dry spells.
June: Growth. Water in dry spells.
July: First silvery pink plumes.
August: Full flower. Water in dry spells.
September: Flowering. The plumes turn cream to light brown.
November: Leave the leaves standing as protection.

You and this species

Did you know?

The species name emodensis refers to Emodus, an old Latin name for the Himalaya.
Calamagrostis comes from the Greek words for reed (kalamos) and grass (agrostis).
Unlike many ornamental grasses, its plumes bend downwards instead of standing upright.

Garden plants · All species