'Karl Foerster' Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora) has so many virtues in the garden and landscape that in 2001 it became the first ornamental grass ever named Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association. Tall and stately--it's been called "an exclamation point in the garden"--it grows to 5 feet tall with dark, shiny foliage and beautiful long, feathery pinkish flowers that narrow and turn wheat in color to last through fall. This remarkable grass grows well in heavy clay or sandy soil and in sun or light shade.