On sedges

Until we have more news about Canada Post negotiations early next week – I don’t recommend new orders to be placed!

Some plants always become more ‘visible’ in late fall, both in nature and in the gardens. Among them are the evergreen sedges; no garden is complete without them.
There are quite a few North American native plants species to choose from at the garden centers. However, in the sedges ‘department’ there is still a lot of work to be done.

Over the years, I learned to appreciate the sedges that maintain a green appearance during late fall and winter when all other plants are having their winter ‘beauty’ sleep.

I promised, for those wishing to add more native winter–greens to their gardens, to keep an eye open for new sedges. So, there is a new one in the List this year – Carex arctata, the Drooping woodland sedge, with its very nice, bright green foliage sometimes punctuating the hiking paths. From spring to the winter, the clumps remain happily green, just the green nuance differs a bit.
I was also aiming for Carex platyphylla seeds, but alas I missed the right moment. Looking fwd to collect them next year!

We also have other sedges that have ornamental fruit-heads like Carex grayi (back in stock), and few other related species. The fruiting stems can be used as a fall décor for a while :)

Granted, not all sedges remain evergreen or have interesting fruit heads, but they can have other qualities like for example the interesting ‘tropical’ texture of Carex muskingumensis, the Palm sedge.

Speaking of décor, I will digress from sedges a bit to mention one of my favorite native grass, Chasmanthium latifolium, the Northern Sea oats, pictured here at the end of October.

An important mention is that all these species are very easy to grow from seeds! Nothing is holding us back to grow them all, except the lack of seeds.

Interested in other, out of the ordinary, ornamental grasses and related genera?
https://botanicallyinclined.org/fine-grasses-for-shade-sedges-melica/
The Seeds List