Reference specimenAccession  SKU-00762

Carex morrowii 'Variegata'

Silver Japanese Sedge

At a glance
Type
Perennial
Hardiness
USDA Zones 5–9
Sun
Part Shade
Soil
Well-drained, Moist
Mature size
Height 12–18 Inches · Spread 12–24 Inches
Growth rate
Fast
Seasonality
Evergreen
Carex morrowii 'Variegata', silver-edged Japanese sedge with white-margined blades
Carex morrowii 'Variegata', Silver Japanese Sedge at Woodlanders
A plant Woodlanders once offered on our catalogue

This variety is no actively in production in our propagation house and may not return to our catalogue. We maintain this page purely for reference and archival purposes. If you would like to grow this plant, tell us. Your interest helps guide what we bring back.

For a larger installation or commercial project, write hello@woodlanders.net.

Carex morrowii 'Variegata' is the popular silver-edged form of the Japanese sedge, a tufted, grass-like clump of narrow blades to about a foot long, each margined crisply in silvery white. The variegation brightens a shaded planting where plain greens recede, and the evergreen foliage holds the effect through the year in mild winters.

An easy, attractive choice for the semi-shaded garden, the plant knits into neat mounds at a shaded path, the edge of a woodland bed, a container, or among ferns and hostas that set off the silver. Native to Japan, dependable, and long a favorite for lighting the dim corners of a garden.

Design Notes

Use 'Variegata' to light the dim corners of a garden, at a shaded path, the edge of a woodland bed, the front of a border, or in a container, where the silver-edged blades read against plain green companions. The neat evergreen tuft threads beautifully among ferns, hostas, and hellebores and holds its brightness the year round. Give semi-shade and moist, well-drained soil, and divide every few years to renew the clumps.

Flower, Fruit & Foliage

Brownish spikes on erect stems, spring

Foliage. Narrow, grass-like blades to about a foot long, deep green and crisply margined in silvery white, forming a tidy evergreen tuft that brightens a shaded planting.

Flower. Slim brownish spikes rise on erect stems in spring, inconspicuous on a plant grown for the variegated foliage.

Care

Light. Part shade to light shade; the variegation holds best out of hot direct sun, which scorches the blades.

Soil. Moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil.

Water. Keep evenly moist; not a plant for prolonged drought.

Grooming. Comb out or trim tired foliage in early spring; divide every few years to renew the clump and its color.

Hardiness. Evergreen and reliable through USDA Zones 5 to 9 in mild winters.