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Variegated Japanese sedge

Carex morrowii 'Variegata' · Cyperaceae

Variegated Japanese sedge (Carex morrowii 'Variegata')
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Stiff, arching, dark green blades, each with a thin silver-white edge, in a dense evergreen tuft.

Size
12 in tall, 18 in wide
Zones
5 to 9
Light
Part sun to shade
Flowers
Grown for its leaves
Pets
No toxicity recorded
Job in a bed
Edging

A bed built around variegated Japanese sedge

The planner designed this bed around variegated Japanese sedge when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why variegated Japanese sedge stands where it does.

A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) bed at eye level in early June: Variegated Japanese sedge, Leadwort, Foxglove, White bleeding heart, Northern sea oats, Glory-of-the-snow, Winter aconite.
A 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part shade, seen from the path in early June.
5. Northern sea oats55. Northern sea oats55. Northern sea oats55. Northern sea oats55. Northern sea oats53. Foxglove33. Foxglove33. Foxglove34. White bleeding heart41. Variegated Japanese sedge11. Variegated Japanese sedge11. Variegated Japanese sedge11. Variegated Japanese sedge11. Variegated Japanese sedge12. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort23. Foxglove32. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort22. Leadwort26. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow6. Glory-of-the-snow7. Winter aconite7. Winter aconite7. Winter aconite7. Winter aconite7. Winter aconite7. Winter aconite7. Winter aconite7. Winter aconite7. Winter aconite7. Winter aconite7. Winter aconite7. Winter aconite
From above, to scale. Each circle is one plant, as wide as the room it needs.

The plants

  1. 1 Variegated Japanese sedge × 5, variegated leaves
  2. 2 Leadwort × 22, blue
  3. 3 Foxglove × 4, purple
  4. 4 White bleeding heart × 1, white
  5. 5 Northern sea oats × 5, tan
  6. 6 Glory-of-the-snow × 12, pink
  7. 7 Winter aconite × 12, yellow

Why this plant

  • The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
  • Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
  • The only fine leaves here. The rest are medium and bold. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.

Why here

  • On the front edge. At 12 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 56% of the edge.
  • 5 plants in one run. An unbroken run of one kind gives the edge a clean line.

Why now

  • Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
  • The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.

Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 76% of the planted ground. Cool colours (blue, purple and pink) with yellow as the warm note, and white and tan to calm things between them. Leadwort is planted in five places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.

The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Foxglove is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Winter aconite is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses.

Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.

Where variegated Japanese sedge goes in a border

At 12 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).

Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).

A reliable evergreen edging for shade that looks the same every month of the year. Tougher and neater than most variegated sedges.

  • Evergreen edging in shade
  • Winter interest
  • Massing under trees

What to plant with variegated Japanese sedge

Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:

  • Hosta: bold leaves against its fine ones; happy in the same moist soil.
  • Lenten rose: adds the flowers, late March to early May; bold leaves against its fine ones.
  • Autumn fern: tall enough (22 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.

Questions about variegated Japanese sedge

Does variegated Japanese sedge need sun or shade?

Variegated Japanese sedge grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).

It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. It copes with soil that stays wet.

What zones does variegated Japanese sedge grow in?

USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

How far apart should variegated Japanese sedge be planted?

16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many variegated Japanese sedge plants do I need?

At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

  • 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
  • 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
  • 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).

In the bed above, the planner used five in one group.

Is variegated Japanese sedge poisonous to dogs and cats?

No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.

"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.

Do deer eat variegated Japanese sedge?

They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.

What does variegated Japanese sedge look like in winter?

Variegated Japanese sedge keeps its variegated and dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone. It is grown for winter interest as well.

Is variegated Japanese sedge good for bees and butterflies?

Variegated Japanese sedge is visited by songbirds.

More Carex

In these guides

Zone guides: Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9

Every fact on record

Type
Grass
Size
12 in (30 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
Plant
16 in (40 cm) apart
Height class
Low (6 to 12 in)
Place in the bed
Front
Flowers
None: grown for its foliage
Leaves
Fine texture, evergreen; variegated, dark green
Shape
Arching, clumping
Hardy in
USDA zones 5 to 9
Light
Part sun, part shade, shade
Soil
Average, evenly moist
Water
Moderate
Feeding
None needed
Family
Cyperaceae
Comes from
Central & S. Japan
Attracts
Songbirds
Stands up to
Wet soil

Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.