Carex dipsacea

Carex dipsacea, also known as teasel sedge, comes to life at the end of the season with intense orange fiery glows that gradually invade its long olive-green ribbon-like leaves tinged with bronze. This evergreen grass forms an intermediate-sized tuft, with a rough appearance and slightly shaggy silhouette, of beautiful density. Its upright floral stems, hidden in its mane, bear brownish catkins in summer. This hardy perennial plant, native to antipodal regions, was endowed by nature with remarkable adaptive abilities. It thrives today in gardens all over the world, in ordinary soils, in all exposures. It is attractive all year round. 

Carex dipsacea is a sedge belonging to the large Cyperaceae family. This grass with short rhizomes forms a tuft with an upright and arching habit, measuring 60 to 90cm (24 to 35in) in height and about 50cm (20in) in diameter. Its evergreen leaves are sheathing at the base. They are long, thin, and linear, with tapered and slightly drooping edges. From spring to summer, their colour is a mix of light green and olive-green, tinged with bronze. With the cool nights of autumn, they take on lovely coppery-orange hues. In April-May, inconspicuous short brown to black spikes, 1 to 3cm (1in) long, appear, borne by slender stems measuring 70cm (28in) in height, barely emerging from the foliage. These floral stems then spread out on the ground. Monoecious like all carex species, it produces separate male and female flowers on the same individual.

Carex dipsacea is a charming and versatile 'grass' that will provide beauty in the garden both in summer and winter. This resistant perennial can be used in difficult areas such as a ground cover plant in urban gardens where it can play a significant role in soil stabilisation. It is also a good container plant, suitable for balconies or patios. Undemanding and water-efficient, it can be paired with other grasses (Stipa tenuifolia or S. capillata, Muhlenbergia capillaris), as well as perennials such as Gaura or Verbena bonariensis. Carex dipsacea will warm up the garden with its fiery orange colours, even at the end of a sunny winter day, under a low sun. Planted en masse along a path or an alley, it will emphasise and soften its layout. It can also be planted in a mixed border with sturdy and undemanding perennials such as sedums and yarrows in dry soil, or with ferns, hostas, and astilbes in moist soil or near water features. For a beautiful wild effect, plant it en masse in a contemporary or countryside garden.