Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Is This Plant Even Alive? (poke, poke)

Do you have that one plant that you have to poke every now and then to see if it's still alive?  

 That's how I feel about Carex buchananii (Bronze Leatherleaf Sedge Grass).  Because of it's brown color and curly tips, I often wonder if the plant is really dead and I just don't know it.

This sedge is grown for its clumps of narrow, reddish or copper-colored, evergreen leaves. It likes a growing area in full sun or partial shade but with a moist soil. A tolerance for wet soil allows the plant to be used near water too. Newly planted clumps may be slow to establish too, but when they are happy, they really poof out. I find babies of this plant 100 feet away from the parent, I'm always amazed where they pop up and they survive being moved amazingly well. 

Mixed in with "Thug" Angelina Sedum and Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'

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4 comments:

  1. rickiJune 18, 2013 at 3:17 PM

    This is one of those plants that kinda grows on you.

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  2. scottweberpdxJune 18, 2013 at 4:38 PM

    I had that happen one year, I planted one of the brown sedges in the fall...and never gave a thought to the fact that it might not be alive. Come spring, however, I tugged on the blades, and they all popped out in my hand. Oops. I guess it really was dead :-(

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  3. AlisonJune 18, 2013 at 6:01 PM

    I have the same feeling about the brown or bronze sedges. It is hard to know if they're alive. I think that's why I don't have many planted.

    ReplyDelete
  4. HeatherJune 19, 2013 at 4:04 PM

    I have a bunch planted and my partner thought they were dead and that I was just refusing to remove them. I had to explain that they are supposed to look like that. I love brown grasses!

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