Carex 'Evergold'

Carex 'Evergold' (Carex oshimensis 'Evergold') is the tidiest edging plant you can buy for a shady bed. It forms a neat weeping mound about 30cm tall and 40cm across, each leaf striped cream gold down the centre with fine green margins, and it holds that colour all year without cutting back. Frost hardy, drought tolerant and salt tolerant, it goes in and stays put.

Why you'll love it

• Bright variegation that lasts. The cream gold centre stripe lifts dark corners where green on green disappears, and it does not scorch or bleach the way many variegated plants do.
• It stays where you put it. A clumping sedge, not a runner, holding a tidy 40cm mound for years with no spreading and no division needed.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, which matters for a plant at ankle height along a path.
• Genuinely low care. Frost hardy, drought tolerant once established and salt tolerant enough for coastal gardens. Combing it through with your fingers each spring is most of the maintenance.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 40cm apart along a path or bed edge for a continuous ribbon of gold. At that spacing the mounds touch without crowding, so each keeps its weeping shape rather than merging into a shapeless mass.

Mass planting and groundcover. The same 40cm spacing works across a bed. Around 6 plants per square metre gives full cover in two seasons and suppresses most weeds once the canopies close.

Growing Carex 'Evergold' in Australia

Position and climate. Part shade gives the best colour and the neatest habit. Full sun works in cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, but in subtropical heat an afternoon shaded spot stops the leaf tips browning. It is frost hardy and suits cool temperate through to subtropical gardens.

Soil. Any reasonable garden soil with drainage. It dislikes waterlogging more than dryness, so improve heavy clay with compost and raise the bed slightly. Mulch 50mm deep, kept off the crown.

Water and feed. Water twice a week for the first two months, then only through dry spells. A light dressing of slow release fertiliser in early spring is all it asks; overfeeding makes it floppy and dulls the variegation.

Pruning. No hard pruning. Run your fingers through the clump in early spring to pull out dead leaves. If a plant looks tired after several years, cut it back to about 10cm and it reshoots.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock, which is the practical way to buy a plant used in numbers. Each tube is a young clump, a small fan of leaves several centimetres across, not the full mound in the photograph. Plant at 40cm spacing straight away and expect the gaps to close in one to two growing seasons.

Tube stock travels well because the root ball is compact and the foliage stiff. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Water in well, keep the soil damp for six weeks, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read our guide to designing with ornamental grasses.
• Compare the range of grasses and strappy leaf plants.
• See more edging plants for defining a bed.
• Plan a larger planting with our mass planting range.

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

About 6 at the recommended 40cm spacing, or 9 if you want cover within a single season. For edging a path, one plant every 40cm along the run gives an unbroken line.

Will it survive full sun?

In cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, yes. In subtropical heat the leaf tips brown by late summer, so give it morning sun and afternoon shade for the best appearance.

Does it need cutting back each year?

No. It is evergreen and keeps its shape, so pulling out the dead leaves by hand in early spring is enough. A hard cut to 10cm is only for a clump that has grown tired after several years.