Icons:

(PPAF) = Propagation of this plant prohibited without a license.

2008 Catalog

Order the 2008 Catalog printed on genuine paper for $4. Free with plant order.
Add to Cart

Digging Dog Nursery

a mail order plant nursery
on the Mendocino Coast of California

p.o. box 471
Albion, CA 95410
phone:
(707) 937-1130
fax:
(707) 937-2480

web site by
Garth Hagerman

Carex (Sedge)
at Digging Dog

Including Carex elata, Carex siderosticha, Carex tumulicola, & Carex dolichostachya

Carex

Sedge

A diverse genus comprised of nearly 1000 species, most Carex originate in the moist habitats of temperate climates. Our graceful selections are easy to grow and promise to soften those hard edges in your garden.

Carex albula ‘Frosted Curls’

Frosted Curls Sedge

Applauded as one of the most distinctive native New Zealand grasses, this Carex spotlights a frosted fountain of gracefully cascading hairlike blades. The iridescent light green leaves twist their tips and gleam with pewter highlights, while staging a dense evergreen clump that spills over rocks, walls or a favored patio container.

For an especially fluid display, ‘Frosted Curls’ is best planted en masse on a slope where its trailing foliage appears to flow like water.

Size: 12" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 7.

Carex albula Frosted Curls (G-0482)
Each $7.00
Add to Cart

Carex ciliatomarginata ‘Treasure Island’

Longitudinal white stripes, some broad, others thin, sprint down the center and border the margins, painting their bold, illuminated pattern on each short, narrow green blade. This dapper-looking new sedge was selected by Minnesota’s Hans Hansen and is a smaller version of its close relation, Carex siderosticha. Dwelling in the dry and dimly lit, grassy mountainous haunts of China, Korea and Japan, ‘Treasure Island’ slowly spreads by rhizomes, forming a versatile, low dense cover that thrives with adequate moisture but can handle some sun and appreciable shade or dryness. (pp# 16332).

Size: 4" high x 15" wide; hardy to zone 5.

AVAILABLE JUNE 2008

Carex ciliatomarginata Treasure Island (G-0502)
Each $8.00
Add to Cart

Carex dolichostachya ‘Kaga Nishiki’

Kaga Brocade Sedge

Nishiki means “brocade,” and it rightly describes the variegated blades of this superb selection, which comes to our country from Japan’s Gotemba Nursery. Forming a tidy, fountainlike mound, each slender leaf has a green central stripe emargined in a radiant gold. Long-lived and durable, ‘Kaga Nishiki’ makes a bright accent against the broad-leafed greenery in the border.

Size: 8"–10" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 6.

Carex dolichostachya Kaga Nishiki (g-0098)
Each $7.00
Add to Cart

Carex elata ‘Aurea’

Bowles Golden Sedge

This beautiful sedge offers the clearest yellow of any grass, plus a courtly, rounded form. Its compact size is ideal for the rock garden or mixed border. Best of all, the coloring becomes even more brilliant in partial shade.

Use it to enliven the woodland garden, or make a stunning statement by planting it with other golden foliage or with the contrasting leaves of Pulmonaria ‘Roy Davidson’. Bowles Golden will become a dense stand in only a few seasons.

Size: 15" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Carex elata Aurea (G-0006)
Each $8.00
Add to Cart

Carex elata ‘Knightshayes’

Solidly colored in clear golden yellows, this Carex’s graceful hummock will energize the ho-hum corners of your garden. With upright and arching, evergreen foliage, ‘Knightshayes’ requires moisture and bright shade to retain the gilt, fine textured hues. Try establishing singly or en masse near ponds, streams, in a damp border or even in water, where its glowing accents and reflections are sure to beckon.

Size: 15" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Carex elata Knightshayes (G-0096)
Each $7.00
Add to Cart

Carex flacca (glauca)

Carnation Grass

With its sea of striking blue, Carnation-like foliage, this handsome Carex is aptly named. Glaucous, narrow blades create a noninvasive, slowly spreading mass. Purple-black spikes appear to float like a subtle mist just above the solid, jointless flowering stems. Easy to establish and indispensable as a low ground cover, Carex flacca tolerates drought, adapts to an array of growing conditions and effectively interweaves a tapestry of Heathers.

Blooms May–June.

Size: 6"–15" high x 12"–15" wide; hardy to zone 4.

Carex flacca (glauca) (G-0099)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart

Carex morrowii ‘Ice Dance’

Introduced by Barry Yinger, long-lived ‘Ice Dance’ comes to us from the woodlands flanking Japan’s low-lying mountains. Dark emerald in color, the reflexed, leathery leaves are shiny and heightened by creamy white margins.

This tidy evergreen ground cover is not invasive; its spreading rhizomes form a coarsely textured carpet that is somewhat drought tolerant once established.

Size: 12" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Carex morrowii Ice Dance (g-0088)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart

Carex oshimensis ‘Gold Strike’

Oshima Sedge

Arching upward and out, this Carex’s lush foliage is elegant. A glinting cascade of refined, evergreen blades presents dark green margins with broad, alabaster-colored central stripes that mature to creamy yellow. Languishing if it’s too hot, slow spreading ‘Gold Strike’ thrives in moist, well drained sites, and makes a bold statement when its densely set, variegated tussocks are planted in a meandering swath amidst Pulmonaria ‘Benediction’ or Epimediums.

Size: 15"–20" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 6.

Carex oshimensis Gold Strike (g-0461)
SOLD OUT!
Email me when this plant is available

Carex siderosticha ‘Island Brocade’

It’s always a happy day for us when the broad bamboo-like blades finally burst forth each spring. Pale yellow and gold-hued margins encompass cream streaked lime centers, while the bold arching leaves achieve a highly ornamental, dense low cover that spreads slowly from underground rhizomes. Undoubtedly inspiring its cultivar name, the ornately patterned, deciduous foliage becomes an illuminated beacon for the woodland garden or some sullen niche in need of sprucing up. (PPAF)

Size: 9"–12" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 6.

Carex siderosticha Island Brocade (G-0481)
Each $8.00
Add to Cart

Carex tenuiculmis

New Zealand Sedge

A cozy fusion of colors—from dark chocolate and cappuccino to reddish bronze—distinguish this fine textured evergreen sedge. Whether positioned in a border, cascading over a wall or embellishing a container, the long and narrow, arching foliage fashions a loosely arranged, graceful mound whose rich warm tones juxtapose green and golden leafage to great affect.

Carex tenuiculmis favors moist soil, and can be brought inside wherever it’s not winter hardy.

Size: 12"–15" high x 12"–15" wide; hardy to zone 7.

Carex tenuiculmis (G-0471)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart

Carex testacea

Orange New Zealand Sedge

The exotic look of lucent orange foliage paints the garden’s verdant canvas nearly year round. Long, fine textured strands first emerge an olive-green and later transmute stunning golden brown, copper and orange highlights. With its upright and dense arching tuft, easy-to-grow Carex testacea is a hardy, drought tolerant grass that entices gardeners, but not deer, insisting on full sun to preserve the extraordinary hues, and good drainage.

Let this evergreen New Zealand native spill over a container’s edge or cozy up to Yucca ‘Garland’s Gold’, Heuchera ‘Obsidian’ and Euphorbia myrsinites.

Size: 18"–2' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 6.

Carex testacea (G-0495)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart

Carex trifida

Tataki Grass

Distinctive among New Zealand sedges for its rather broad evergreen blades and stout character, this robust, ample-sized Carex is a denizen of the Kiwi country’s rocky coastal areas, as well as Chile and the Falkland Islands. A double fold inscribes the glaucous blue-green leaves that need sun to maintain their watery hues. Obliging drought and light shade, the dense arching tussock exhibits a fluid ease, and come summer puts forth thick upright stems topped with decorative dark chestnut-brown inflorescences. Zone 7/8.

Blooms July–August.

Size: 2'–3' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 8.

Carex trifida (G-0494)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart

Carex tumulicola

Berkeley Sedge

We favor Berkeley Sedge for its lush meadow look. Ranging from Washington to California’s Monterey coast, this western native’s deep green and lustrous, thin evergreen blades elegantly arch out from a clumping base and yield inconspicuous brownish blooms held by lax, wiry stems.

Once established, the fast growing and versatile Carex tumulicola can endure an array of factors: some drought, boggy areas, tree roots, sun or shade, and foot traffic, including the four-legged kind. However, regular watering and a trim every 6 months will ensure the most verdant growth. You can space it closely and mow for a turflike effect, plant en masse as a ground cover in a small or large area or create a shady vignette with Euphorbia characias x robbiae and Geranium sinense.