Carex | Sedge

Carex

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The Carex genus of garden grasses are commonly grouped together as sedges, similar to reeds and rushes but distinguishable by their edged stems and tiny flowers, formed in spikelets. Sedges are found in nature across the world, usually in wetlands, where they tend to dominate. Horticulturalists are very fond of Carex species, and they are widely used in gardening, natural landscaping and wildlife habitat restoration. Because Carex plants are perennial and can cope with extremes of dryness and moistness, they are perfect for almost any kind of soil. They grow rapidly, forming a distinctive hairy-looking clump. The most popular varieties among gardeners are those sedges which offer the most attractive grass colours, such as the bronzed brown of the Carex comans Milk Chocolate variety, from New Zealand, the rich green and yellow Carex oshimensis Evergold, or “Variegated Sedge,” and the dark green and cream leaves of the Carex morrowii Ice Dance, or “Japanese Sedge”.