Spread tender loving carex
A mass planting of carex can be a sight to behold, whether you have a large garden or smaller urban section.
Flowering trees and shrubs, planted on one side of the garden, complement the colour of the carex. If I had a bit more room in my garden, I’d plant out a large swath of carex. Not just one or two plants here or there in the border, but a whole section of them if I could.
I was inspired by a garden I visited up north, where one half of the garden was planted in carex and the other in flowering trees and shrubs. Overlooking Ohope Beach, owner Madeline Brettkelly had banished grass in favour of carex.
‘‘We’re sheltered from southerlies here and the soil, as long as it gets water, is good. It’s pretty sandy, but you can grow pretty well anything. You can even grow camellias and hydrangeas and rhododendrons if you want to. But they do need a lot of water.’’
What won’t grow in her garden is grass, which is why she struck upon the idea of planting half her section in Carex testacea. ‘‘We decided that it suited the house,’’ says Brettkelly. ‘‘It’s such a lovely colour and it waves in the breeze. It’s all very natural.
‘‘The only thing is, it’s not as lowmaintenance as you’d think. You’ve got to weed it and kind of run your hands through it every few months to get the dead stuff out. It’s like everything – you have to keep it tidy.’’
If you stand at the front of her house, you see that the garden is divided by a white lime-chip path that runs through the centre of it on a diagonal. On one side is the mass-planting of carex, on the other is a mix of plants with complementary colours in soft reds and oranges, and greens. Red cordylines, orange-leaved leucadendrons, yuccas and helichrysum, among other plants, add textural and architectural interest.
‘‘It’s nice because it’s very attractive all year round and it’s quite spectacular at certain parts of the year.’’
She’s added pots of succulents with colourful leaves to bring in extra colour, as well as citrus in pots, which can be moved into shelter if necessary.
The lime-chip path leads to the back of the house to a courtyard that’s frequently used for entertaining. There are more plants in containers, and beyond that a gravel garden planted with ornamental grasses, flaxes and mondo grass.
‘‘We had a lawn there, which, again, wasn’t successful. It was always getting boggy and ugly, unless it was cut. We had it there because we thought the grandchildren would enjoy kicking a ball around, but they didn’t. So we put lawn mat down and stones and pavers, and that’s much more successful.’’
Carex is a large genus of more than 1000 species, around 70 of which are native to New Zealand. Some are ideal for wet spots (like Carex trifida), others for dry spots ( Carex buchanannii), still others for coastal areas ( Carex testacea) or bush areas ( Carex dissita).
Most are found throughout New Zealand, though some are found in specific areas, like Carex albula in the Mackenzie Country and North Otago. Visit your local garden centre to see which plants grow well in your area.
Carex plants are great for exposed areas, including banks. Most grow in sun or semi-shade, though Carex dissita will grow in shaded spots, like forest and scrub, as well as swampy areas (plus it tolerates dry spots).
Carex buchananii does not like it too wet but it tolerates dry spots well. The latter has reddish-brown foliage that grows up to 75 centimetres high. It has an upright growth, but the leaf ends are curled, giving it a distinct appearance.
While many gardening books suggest carex plants are low-maintenance, they do need some care. Old leaves should be pulled out and the plants ‘‘groomed’’.
I’ve used an old wide-toothed comb to pull out dead leaves, which works well. Removing the old leaves will also allow new ones to develop.
If you’re prepared to groom your plants, a mass planting of carex can be a sight to behold, whether you have a large garden or smaller urban section.
Visit Jane’s blogs: sweetlivingmagazine.co.nz and flamingpetal.co.nz.