Carex ‘Frosted Curls’

Carex 'Frosted Curls' (Carex comans 'Frosted Curls') is a soft silver green sedge with fine weeping leaves that curl at the tips, so a planted drift catches the light and moves in the slightest breeze. It forms a neat mound around 35cm tall and 45cm across, wider than it is high, which makes it one of the better small plants for edging. It also tolerates dry ground and wet feet equally.

Why you'll love it

• Texture where other plants only give you leaves. Fine curling foliage softens paving, stone and hard edges in a way broadleaf plants cannot.
• Wet or dry, it copes. Drought tolerant once established and equally content in a damp low corner.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, so it suits a courtyard where the dog has run of the place.
• Coastal and frost hardy. Salt wind and cold winters both suit it, so it plants across most of the country outside the wet tropics.
• One trim a year. Cut it back in late winter and it refreshes completely.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 30cm apart along a path or bed edge. At that spacing the mounds touch by the second season and read as a continuous soft ribbon.

Mass planting and groundcover. Also 30cm apart, about 11 plants a square metre. Massed on a slope or under open canopied trees it suppresses weeds and holds soil.

Pots and rockeries. The weeping habit spills over a rim, so it softens a mixed container, or sits between rocks where the curled tips catch the light.

Growing Carex 'Frosted Curls' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, with the silver tone strongest in sun. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens. In hot arid inland gardens it wants afternoon shade and regular water.

Soil. Adaptable. It grows in sand, loam and improved clay, and unlike most sedges it accepts a periodically wet spot as readily as a dry one. Mulch lightly and keep the crown clear.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer to settle the roots, then as needed. A light feed of complete fertiliser in early spring is enough, since overfeeding produces floppy growth that loses the tidy mound.

Pruning. Shear the whole clump back to about 10cm in late winter, before new growth starts. Divide congested clumps every three or four years.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown here in three sizes: tube stock, 140mm in packs of ten, and 200mm in packs of six. Tube stock is the value choice for a large drift and fills a 200mm footprint within a season. The 140mm packs suit edging a long path, and the 200mm plants arrive as established mounds.

Sedges travel well, though the fine foliage often looks flattened on unpacking and lifts within a few days. Plant straight away, water in, and expect new growth within three to four weeks in the warmer months. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Designing with ornamental grasses
• Browse grasses and strappy leaf plants
• Plants suited to mass planting
• More plants that are safe around pets

Common questions

How many do I need per square metre?

At 30cm spacing, roughly 11 plants a square metre. For a single edging line, one plant every 30cm along the run.

Does it need cutting back?

Yes, once a year. Shear the clump to about 10cm in late winter. Skip it and dead foliage accumulates through the middle of the mound and the silver colour goes dull.

Will it cope with a damp spot?

It will. This sedge tolerates wet feet as well as dry ground, which makes it a sound choice for a low corner or the edge of a rain garden where other small plants rot.

Is it safe if my dog chews it?

Yes. It is not toxic to cats or dogs, and some pets nibble the fine foliage without harm.