Calamagrostis Hello Spring!®

Calamagrostis Hello Spring!®: Cream Stripes With a Laid-Back Arch

It's literally named 'Hello Spring!' and it means it. Crisp cream stripes on arching blades, brightest when the season is brand new, like the garden's first coffee. MAXIMUM ENTHUSIASM, NO CAFFEINE REQUIRED.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Calamagrostis × acutiflora
• Common Name: Feather Reed Grass
• Series: Hello Spring!®, an Emerald Coast Growers introduction
• Height: 90–120 cm (3–4 ft) in flower
• Spread: 45–60 cm (1.5–2 ft)
• Flowers: Cream to pale pinkish plumes that age to tan
• Bloom Time: Late spring to late summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Arching green leaves with crisp creamy white striping, most vivid in spring
• Features: Heat tolerant

Where to Plant: Its softer, arching shape suits spots where a stiff upright plant would look too formal: the front of a mixed border, a large container, or a cottage-style bed. Repeat it along a path for a bright rhythm in spring.

Companion Plants: Use Hello Spring!® for early colour in a sunny bed, its cream-striped blades pairing with yellow, pink and blue. Geum Tempo™ 'Yellow' opens semi-double yellow flowers at 35 to 50 cm from April to June. Paeonia 'Claire de Lune' adds pale yellow single peonies at 70 to 90 cm in May and June. Veronica 'Perfectly Picasso' brings pink spikes at 56 to 66 cm in July and August. Aster 'Wood's Light Blue' fills the front at 30 to 40 cm with light blue asters from August to October.

Plant Care: Plant it in full sun to part sun in average, well-drained soil. Water well through the first season. Once established, it only needs extra water during long dry spells. The variegation is strongest in cool weather and may soften in summer heat. Leave the plumes standing over winter. Cut the clump back to about 15 cm (6 in) in late winter or early spring, before new growth starts. Like other feather reed grasses it's a cool-season grower, so it greens up early. Divide in spring if it gets crowded.

History: Hello Spring!® was introduced in 2017 by Emerald Coast Growers, a Florida grower that specializes in ornamental grasses, as a selection of feather reed grass. It's often compared with the older variegated 'Overdam', but it grows more vigorously and fills in faster.

Final Thoughts: Heat tolerant, drought tolerant once settled and deer resistant. Plant one and get a cheerful greeting every morning. GOOD MORNING TO YOU TOO.