Carex 'Blue Zinger'

Carex 'Blue Zinger': Steel-Blue Blades, No Mowing Required

'Blue Zinger' delivers its one-liners in steel blue. Narrow, arching blades keep their colour most of the year, whether you give it sun, shade or the weird spot behind the shed. ALWAYS HAS A COMEBACK.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Carex flacca 'Blue Zinger'
• Common Name: Blue Sedge (also called Glaucous Sedge)
• Height: 30–45 cm (12–18 in)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in), spreading slowly by rhizomes
• Flowers: Small, insignificant flower spikes; grown for its foliage
• Bloom Time: Summer (July to August)
• Foliage: Narrow, arching, steel blue-green blades that hold their colour much of the year
• Features: Slowly spreading groundcover

Where to Plant: Use it as a groundcover, to edge a path, to cover a slope, or massed in drifts where you want a low sweep of blue. It's a good stand-in for lawn in shady spots that don't get walked on. It adapts to many soils, including clay, and copes with city conditions.

Companion Plants: Heuchera 'Berry Timeless' pairs pink flowers from June to October with the cool blue blades. Iris 'Immortality' adds white blooms in June, often again from August to October. Eupatorium 'Chocolate' brings dark leaves and white flowers from August to October. The blue sedge makes a fine, steady edge in front of them.

Plant Care: Plant it in part shade for the best colour, though it will grow in full sun with steady moisture and in fairly deep shade. Average soil is fine. Water through the first season, after which it handles dry spells well. In early spring, comb out or trim any winter-tattered leaves before new growth starts. A layer of mulch helps in exposed, cold sites. It spreads slowly by underground rhizomes. Divide in spring if you want more plants or need to keep it in bounds.

History: Carex flacca is native to Europe and North Africa, where it grows in grassland, dunes and damp meadows. One of its old English names is carnation grass, because its blue-grey leaves resemble carnation foliage.

Final Thoughts: Slowly spreading, drought tolerant once settled and basically fuss-free. Let it fill in under the trees. QUIET PLANT, SHARP WIT.