Plant Library

Other Names:  Gold Fountains Sedge, Rush

Description:

A beautiful selection not commonly seen; forms an impressive fountain-like mound of bright yellow-green blades edged in yellow; prefers light shade or cool sun with regular water; evergreen in zone 6; great for rock gardens, containers, and as groundcover

Ornamental Features

Variegated Japanese Sedge is primarily valued in the garden for its cascading habit of growth. Its attractive grassy leaves emerge lime green in spring, turning light green in colour with distinctive gold edges. The foliage often turns brown in fall. The tan seed heads are carried on plumes in late summer.

Landscape Attributes

Variegated Japanese Sedge is an herbaceous evergreen perennial grass with a shapely form and gracefully arching stems. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Variegated Japanese Sedge is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting
• Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing

Variegated Japanese Sedge will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in moist to wet soil, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Variegated Japanese Sedge is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a canvas of foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.