These grasslike perennials act as dazzling stars or demure supporters in sun and shade
After touting the virtues ofsedgesfor more than 20 year , I ’m thrilled that these stalwartperennialsare in the end becoming popular . I ’d be hard - pressed to name another plant genus that I cogitate is more gardenworthy . sedge have a grasslike appearance , but unlike mostornamental grasses , many perform as well or better in shade as they do in sun . For that understanding , they can occupy a useful design niche . Sedges are mostly grown for their bladelike foliage , which ranges from slight strand to thick strap in nuance of green , blue greenish , yellow , and copper . Their height roam from several inches to 3 foot . Some gardener consider the flowers nondescript , but I find many of them intriguing . They are by and large curb spike in shades of tan or green that appear in spring before dense foliage growth charge in . Some flowers fade to become attractive tawny seed head that inflate above the leafage . Most sedge have a tufted development habit , or they produce runner or rhizomes that make an unfastened or slightly spreading use .
sedge are long-wearing and make adaptable garden companions . Some call tending to themselves , while others serve as elusive garter . With their elegant textures and attractive colors , they can add grassy splendour to any scene . I acquire many different sedge , and I can not suppose my garden without them .
Variegated broadleaf sedge brightens a shady planting
Name : Carexsiderosticha‘Variegata ’
USDA Hardiness Zones:6–9
lighting : Full Lord’s Day to full nuance
One of the most striking of the variegated sedge , ‘ Variegata ’ has 1 - in - wide , deep light-green leaves lined with clean , white-hot , vertical grade insignia . New growth sports a tinge of pink , and the variegation remains stable over time , make it a dependable prospicient - term perennial . It grows into a low cumulus up to 10 inches high . ‘ Variegata ’ fly high in moist to well - run out soil . During our raging summertime , I water it profoundly a few multiplication in July and August to keep leaves from browning .
Uses:‘Variegata ’ is especially worthful for adding bright highlight in the shade . Grow it with borderline Sir Henry Joseph Wood fern ( Dryopteris marginalis , Zones 3–8 ) , white woodwind instrument aster ( Aster divaricatus , zone 4–8 ) , and blue cohosh ( Caulophyllum thalictroides , zone 3–7 ) .
Leatherleaf sedge holds its shape
Name : genus Carex buchananii
Zones:6–9
Light : Full sun to light shade
Fine strands of bull leave accomplish up to 2 feet tall and shower in an attractive , vaselike condition . It choose dampish , well - drained soil .
Uses : Polypodium scouleri sedge works well in container plantings , specially where it ’s not hardy , because it retains its striking color and form all summer . Good garden companions include cop - colored heucheras(Heucheraspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–8 ) , risque - leavedHosta‘Halcyon ’ ( Zones 3–9 ) , andAstilbe‘Lollipop ’ ( Zones 3–8 ) .
Bowles golden sedge pairs well with purple
Name : Carex elata‘Aurea ’
Zones:5–9
This popular , oculus - popping sedge has just , 14 - in - across-the-board , chartreuse to bright yellow foliation that beget 24 to 30 inches tall . It does not stick out dry territory , and its leaves become brighter in full sunshine .
Uses : Bowles golden sedge add an energizing volley of color in any shade planting or creates a dynamic dividing line with purple - flowering , sun - bed perennials . Pair it with fly loosestrife ( Lythrum alatum , Zones 3–9),Geum‘Flames of Passion ’ ( geographical zone 5–9 ) , or break up fern ( Osmunda claytoniana , Zones 2–10 ) .
‘Gold Fountains’ sedge has an arching habit
Name : Carex dolichostachya‘Gold Fountains ’ , syn . C.dolichostachya‘Kaga - nishiki ’
zona : 5–9
This softly mounding sedge boasts aggressively defined , gold edges along its arching , 14 - column inch - astray , emerald unripened foliage . It produce to 20 inch high-pitched and prefers well - drained , rich land . In our Zone 5 climate , it can lose its vigor after a knotty winter .
Uses:‘Gold Fountains ’ adds vivacious color and shimmering grain to planting . Well - match tint fellow traveller include leech ticker ( Dicentra spectabilis , Zones 3–9 ) , Funka ( Hosta spp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) , and foam flowers ( Tiarellaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) .
Seersucker sedge sports puckered leaves
Name : Carex plantaginea
Zones:5–7
lighting : Full sun to partial shade
This sedge bring out 1½-inch - wide , dimpled , green leaves that resemble the gather textile from which it gets its unwashed name . It forms tight clump up to 9 inches high . Seersucker sedge do best in well - drained soil .
Uses : This sedge makes a good filler plant in woodland gardens . meld it with stalwart geranium ( Geranium×cantabrigiense , zone 5–8 ) , heucherella ( ×Heucherella‘Burnished Bronze ’ , Zones 4–8 ) , and marginal wood fern ( Dryopteris marginalis , Zones 3–8 ) .
Blue sedge forms soft drifts
Name : Carex flacca , syn . C. glauca
Blue sedge has long , minute , pale blue leaf that lightly settles upon itself , creating a soft , layered mound up to 15 column inch gamey . It spreads by rhizomes at a doable rate . This sedge likes to be teetotal and will die in wet soil .
Uses : Blue sedge prefer full Sunday . Grow it with freehanded betony ( Stachys macrantha‘Hummelo ’ , Zones 7–9 ) and salvia ( Salvia nemorosa‘Wesuwe ’ , Zones 5–9 ) , which rise vertically through the sedge ’s arching leaf . In light spectre , geminate it with bigroot geranium ( Geranium macrorrhizum‘Bevan ’s Variety ’ , zone 4–8 ) .
Pennsylvania sedge works as a ground cover
Name : Carex pensylvanica
Zones:4–8
The OK - textured leaf of this sedge creates a softly arching effect . It spreads by rhizome , but not dumbly , to form a low , open superoxide dismutase 8 to 14 inches tall . Exceptionally durable and compromising , Pennsylvania sedge fly high in ironical shade and in soil that is moist and productive in organic matter .
Sedges with bright, unusual, or variegated foliage make dramatic specimen or accent plants in borders or containers.
Uses : This is a utilitarian spine for a mixed planting of ground natural covering . Interplant it with shooting stars ( Dodecatheon meadia , Zones 4–8 ) , tell apart geranium ( Geranium maculatum , Zones 4–8 ) , Jack - in - the - pulpit ( Arisaema triphyllum , Zones 4–9 ) , and untamed strawberry ( Fragaria virginiana , Zones 4–9 ) . The subtle flavour they create when planted together resembles a naturally happen flora community . Pennsylvania sedge is also utilitarian in forbid grease eating away on a side .
Palm sedge adds texture to a planting
Name : Carex muskingumensis
Zones:3–8
This sedge resemble a small palm tree diagram , with its narrow , green leaves coiffure around a shank like a thenar frond . It grows about 2 foot gamey and forms nonaggressive clumps . Although it favors reasonably damp soil , it also tolerates drier conditions — but only in fond shade . The leaf turn a soft yellowness in autumn .
Outstanding cultivars include ‘ Oehme ’ , with gold - edged foliage ; ‘ Little Midge ’ , which grow only 10 inches tall ; and ‘ Wachtposten ’ , which stay more upright than the species .
U.S.A. : Rely on its unusual leafage to add textural demarcation , especially with broad - leaved plant . Amiable companions let in Hosta ‘ White Triumphator ’ ( Zones 3–9 ) , calvaria ( Scutellaria incana , Zones 5–8 ) , and point - leafage tick medic ( Desmodium glutinosum , Zones 4–9 ) . Another possibility is Bowman ’s root ( Gillenia trifoliata , Zones 5–9 ) , a woodland native that gets up to 3 foot tall , with maplelike leaves that arc over this sedge .
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