About
This perennial grass forms dense clumps reaching up to 75 cm in height. It features slender, evergreen leaves that exhibit an orange-brown hue and have tips that curl gracefully. In late summer, it produces brown flowering spikes that add interest to the foliage.
About the genus
Carex encompasses both deciduous and evergreen species, characterized by their rhizomatous or tufted growth habits. These perennials feature triangular stems topped with linear or strap-like foliage, and they produce spikes that can be either short or elongated, adorned with small green or brown flowers.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, East-facing, South-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Grass Like
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Prairie planting, Coastal, Cottage and informal garden, Gravel garden, Patio and container plants
- Native to
- New Zealand
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Easy to grow in most well-drained fertile soils. Will not tolerate excessive winter wet and avoid extremes of wet and dry
- Pruning
- In summer cut out any dead leaves
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in containers in a cold frame in spring or by division in early summer
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free