Re: brown and green
- Subject: Re: brown and green
- From: "Marge Talt" m*@hort.net
- Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 23:02:44 -0500
We're not alone, Marilyn...just a tad more lonely this side of the
pond:-) The bronze Carex seem to be widely grown in the UK..and, of
course, in their home territory, New Zealand. Part of this may be
because they are not as hardy as most of the available Carex, so are
not as widely offered by nurseries. NARGS seed list always has a few
from US donors, so there are others out there growing (and presumably
loving) these guys.
You're right about whacking them back. In fact, seems to me that
most of the evergreen Carex don't like crew cuts much...esp. the ones
with fine, hair-like foliage. Tho' I don't have your 'Grade B
Slasher Movie' problem:-), I've had to do some heavy cutting back
because of winter damage a couple of times and mine have recovered,
albeit slowly. Much better to comb them out and just nip off any
really unsightly tips or leaves. I lift their skirts and cut back
the really old, mostly dead bottom foliage - they don't seem to mind
that too much.
Made the error of making a straight cut across a swath of foliage on
Carex 'Frosty Curls' when I moved it last year...still looks pretty
odd; they were never meant to have a straight edge!
Yours may recover for you...give them a bit of time; will keep
fingers crossed here.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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> From: Marilyn Dube <mygarden@easystreet.com>
>
> Marge,
> Now there are 2 of us that love the bronzy, coppery Carex!! I
thought I was
> all alone in the world :). The only problem I've ever had with
them was
> trimming them down low in the spring to allow for new growth like
you do for
> other grasses. Don't do it folks it might kill them, they only
want their
> tops trimmed a little. Some helpful friends probably just killed
my Carex
> in the rockery by cutting them down low :(. Well, it's my fault -
I forgot
> to say "don't touch those"! I'm a victim of deadheading/pruning
madness.
> Gad it's like a grade B slasher movie!
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