Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' has tan seedheads, is early blooming and has an upright habit. A 2001 Perennial Plant of the Year, 'Karl Foerster' Feather Reed Grass was named after our friend Tim Foerster's cousin, the great German nurseryman. Winter foliage is a pale tan, and 'Karl Foerster' shows excellent salt tolerance. Karl Foerster found this lovely spontaneous cross at the Hamburg Botanical Gardens.

H: 48 Inches  ·   S: 24 Inches  ·   Zone: 4

Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Overdam'

'Overdam' Feather Reed Grass has green and white foliage and tan upright inflorescences. Thriving in both sun and shade, this is one of our favorite grasses. Winter color is a whitish tan.

H: 36 Inches  ·   S: 18 Inches  ·   Zone: 4

Carex albicans

Insignificant green flower spikes emerge above thread-like arching green leaves in May. The fine semi-evergreen foliage makes a great lawn substitute for shady locations.

H: 20 Inches  ·   S: 20 Inches  ·   Zone: 4

Carex amphiloba

Eastern Narrowleaf sedge is an attractive green fine bladed native which thrives in both moist and dry shady sites. The habit is somewhat upright and Carex amphiloba forms a compact evergreen clump. This shiny green sedge makes an excellent substitute for Liriope; especially in gardens where "Native" is the choice.

H: 12 Inches  ·   S: 12 Inches  ·   Zone: 3

Carex appalachica

Appalachian Sedge is a fine-textured green clump-forming Carex that performs really well in very shady dry woodlands. The habit is arching, like a green fountain, so Appalachian Sedge is particularly attractive in mixed shade containers.

H: 12 Inches  ·   S: 18 Inches  ·   Zone: 3

Carex cherokeensis

Cherokee Sedge is an increasingly rare native that tolerates a wide range of conditions throughout the Southeast. The fine green foliage is fountain-like in habit, and the clumps slowly widen to make a natural looking groundcover. It tolerates dry conditions but is happiest in moist sites. Since it is deer resistant as well as at home in both sun and shade, this Carex deserves more usage. Avoid hard cutback.

H: 18 Inches  ·   S: 12 Inches  ·   Zone: 6

Carex divulsa

Narrow green leaves arch out from central clumps. A low maintenance alternative to grass in sun or shade. Deer resistant and tolerant of a wide range of conditions.

H: 15 Inches  ·   S: 30 Inches  ·   Zone: 4

Carex eburnea

Native cool season sedge perfect for adding a soft textural accent to the shady rock garden. Can be used as an accent, groundcover, or lawn alternative. Deer and heavy shade resistant.

H: 8 Inches  ·   S: 8 Inches  ·   Zone: 2

Carex flacca 'Blue Zinger'

'Blue Zinger' Glaucous Sedge has beautiful grayish blue foliage that is similar in color to Festuca 'Elijah Blue', but 'Blue Zinger' is much more tolerant of different sites, going from shade to full sun. Carex flacca 'Blue Zinger' spreads rapidly to make a good tight groundcover.

H: 6 Inches  ·   S: 18 Inches  ·   Zone: 4

Carex flaccosperma

H: 8 Inches  ·   S: 12 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Carex grayi

Gray's Sedge is a tall Carex which thrives in wet and shady locations. The light green semi-evergreen foliage grows 2', and is topped by 3' flower stems. The blooms rapidly turn to fascinating 1" spiky stars which are attractive in flower arrangements, fresh or dried. Carex grayi thrives in moist to wet conditions, so it naturally occurs along stream banks and edges of ponds. It is a striking addition to rain gardens and bioswales, and tolerates full sun if kept moist.

H: 36 Inches  ·   S: 24 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Carex laxiculmis Bunny Blue® PPAF

Bunny Blue® ('Hobb') Glaucous Woodland Sedge has steel blue evergreen foliage produced by a neat, easily divisible clump. Carex Blue Bunny® prefers a woodland location, but will tolerate sun if the moisture is good. Because of its bright color and neat habit, it looks particularly attractive when colonizing a shady site (both moist and dry). A selection by Bob and Lisa Head of GardenDebut.com.

H: 12 Inches  ·   S: 12 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Carex morrowii EverColor® 'Everglow' PP30466

Graceful refined blades are striped with green, ivory and soft orange. Clump forming and evergreen.

H: 18 Inches  ·   S: 18 Inches  ·   Zone: 6

Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'

'Ice Dance' Japanese Grass Sedge has green and white striped foliage. 'Ice Dance' Kan Suge is a great evergreen groundcover that can cover a large, shady area rapidly and easily. The small flowers appear above the foliage in May. Introduced to the US by Barry Yinger.

H: 12 Inches  ·   S: 24 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Carex muskingumensis

H: 30 Inches  ·   S: 30 Inches  ·   Zone: 4

Carex oshimensis EverColor® 'Everillo' PP21002

'Everillo' Weeping Sedge starts the summer season with lime green mounding foliage that rapidly turns a vivid yellowish gold. Like its relatives, 'Evergold', and 'Everest', 'Everillo' is evergreen, so it lights up the garden throughout the year. Carex 'Everillo' was found by Pat Fitzgerald of Ireland, as a naturally occurring sport of 'Evergold'. The graceful, flowing habit of the narrow leaves makes this sedge an excellent addition to mixed containers.

H: 18 Inches  ·   S: 18 Inches  ·   Zone: 6

Carex oshimensis 'Everest' PP20955

'Everest' ('CarFit01') Weeping Sedge is a lovely sport of Carex 'Evergold', with ivory white margins bordering the dark green evergreen leaves. The soft flowing foliage does well in woodland settings and in mixed shade containers, as its bright white stripes make a showy display. The habit is clumping. Found in 2006 by Pat Fitzgerald of Ireland.

H: 10 Inches  ·   S: 16 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'

'Evergold' Golden Sedge has yellow and green striped evergreen foliage. It is stunning as a container plant. This sedge looks good virtually year-round, and Bruce Crawford of the Rutgers Gardens has found that it is tolerant of full sun and poor soils as well. Wow!

H: 12 Inches  ·   S: 16 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Carex pensylvanica

Pennsylvania Sedge has fine green leaves which are semi-evergreen, spreading slowly by rhizomes to form a tough groundcover in shady areas. Most effective if planted in mass. It can be used instead of grass in the shade. It is very tolerant of foot traffic as well. Mow infrequently.

H: 8 Inches  ·   S: 12 Inches  ·   Zone: 4

Carex plantaginea

Seersucker Sedge lives up to its common name with its wide green leaves that are "puckered like Christmas ribbon", as those articulate folks at North Creek Nurseries say. It tolerates moist locations and adds winter interest because this Carex is evergreen.

H: 10 Inches  ·   S: 12 Inches  ·   Zone: 4

Carex testacea 'Prairie Fire'

'Prairie Fire' Orange New Zealand Sedge has thin long green blades in summer that take on shades of bronze, orange and red in fall and winter. Evergreen and of striking winter interest. Do not cut back old foliage until May or later. Good drainage is critical for this plant.

H: 18 Inches  ·   S: 18 Inches  ·   Zone: 7

Carex texensis

H: 10 Inches  ·   S: 14 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Carex vulpinoidea

A finely textured, wet-soil-tolerant native sedge perfect for creating a rapidly spreading groundcover matrix in the landscape. Great for streams, ponds, bioremediation projects, and naturalized wetlands.

H: 36 Inches  ·   S: 36 Inches  ·   Zone: 3

Deschampsia cespitosa

Deschampsia cespitosa has delicate green foliage topped by airy panicles in fall. Shade and wet site tolerant, clump-forming, semi-evergreen.

H: 24 Inches  ·   S: 12 Inches  ·   Zone: 4