Growing Luzula in a pot

Which varieties to grow in pots?

For pot culture, you can opt for several varieties of medium‑sized luzulas:

• woods rush or Luzula sylvatica : This small plant, reaching 30 cm at maturity, evokes a small grass with light-green, glossy leaves edged with bristle. It flowers from April to June, producing panicles of flowers from bronze-brown to gold. Planted in a large pot, it brightens the base of shrubs. It is hardy to −29°C.
• woods rush or Luzula sylvatica ‘Solar Flare’: Standing about 40 cm tall at maturity, this woods rush is a herbaceous perennial that brings light to shaded corners. It bears golden-acid leaves and forms a dense clump that broadens over time. Small pale-orange flowers bloom in April and May on the soft, slender leaves. It grows perfectly well in pots and can be planted at the base of a camellia or a hibiscus. It is hardy to −29°C.
• woods rush or Luzula sylvatica ‘Surprise’ also grows very well in pots. Its bluish-green foliage is variegated with cream-white and it also makes a very bright plant. New shoots may be entirely cream-white. In April and June, flowering panicles emerge from the foliage and are brown to bronze and coppery in colour. It reaches a height of 30 cm at maturity and is hardy to −29°C.
• woods rush or Luzula sylvatica ‘Marginata’: reaching a height of 40 cm, it bears distinctive green leaves edged with cream. It is hardy to −29°C.

Luzula sylvatica, ‘Solar Flare’, ‘Surprise’, ‘Marginata’

When and where to grow Luzula in a pot?

• Woodrush is best planted in autumn, from September to November or between February and April.
• This woodland plant thrives in shade, sheltered from direct sunlight.
• Woodrush prefers to be planted in a rich, deep and moist substrate, but it also adapts to dry and poor soil. To help it thrive, plant it preferably in a neutral to acidic substrate, as it doesn’t like lime.
• Very hardy, at least down to -15°C, it can be grown in almost all our regions.

Woodrush prefers shaded exposures

How to grow Luzula in a pot?

What type of pot?

You can use any pot you like, but terracotta pots allow better evaporation of water. Ensure a perforated container at the bottom for good drainage.

What substrate?

• Use a substrate that ensures very good drainage of the roots to prevent them from rotting.
• You can prepare a mix of garden soil, compost and planting sand or gravels.

Planting

• Choose a pot with a perforated bottom at least 30 cm in diameter and 30 cm high.
• Place at the bottom a few shards of terracotta pots.
• Moisten the root ball by soaking it in a basin of water.
• Prepare a mix of garden soil with a little compost. If your soil is calcareous, use a good quality potting compost instead.
• Pour this mix into the pot
• Place the woodrush in the centre of the pot and fill the rest of the pot with the other half of the substrate you prepared.
• Firmly pack the substrate to remove air and ensure good contact between the soil and the roots.
• Cover the substrate with a mineral mulch or organic mulch (such as pozzolana, flax flakes or hemp)
• Water generously.

Care

Watering and fertilising

• Water regularly to prevent the substrate from drying out completely.
• In spring, every year, apply compost to your plant.

Pruning

At the end of winter, you can remove any dried parts from your plant.

Division

After a few years, divide the woodrush clump into several pieces using a knife and re-pot them into separate pots. Then water generously.
This clump division can be carried out in autumn or spring.
It helps rejuvenate a clump that has become too cramped in its original pot.

Pests and diseases

Woodrush is not prone to diseases or pests.

For more information, discover our full guide on the planting and care of woodrush as well as on the cultivation of potted plants.

After several years you can divide the woodrush clump