URBAN AG
EverColor Sedges
Ever beautiful grassy texture
by Norman Winter, Horticulturist, Author and Speaker The EverColor series of sedges is growing
and all are proving to be ideal components in mixed containers. They are so dynamic they have the ability to be stand alone or as monoculture plants in tall European urns, olive jars or modern containers. In the landscape however, they offer not only color but that fine leaf texture than stands out in great contrast with shrubs, perennials or annuals. Everillo has been and will always be my first go-to selection. The bright golden chartreuse is simply incredible in those shifting filtered light areas of the landscape. Now after a few years of maturity they are even more dazzling than I could have ever dreamed. They are also attaining a size that really makes an impact.
UAC MAGAZINE | SPRING 2019
Everlite has cream-colored leaves with dark green margins or edges. It is the most compact selection but offers a unique curl that makes it stand out. Perish the thought if you think cream colored foliage can garner attention as much as golden garden chartreuse, however.
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will probably reach 12 to 14 inches. It is the most cold hardy, recommended all the way to zone 4b. All of the others are zones 5-9. EverColor Everest, like Everillo, will reach 18 inches tall and as wide and might best be described as green leafed with white stripes. Everlime is the same height and though lime it is more subdued than Everillo with green leaves and lime margins. Everoro will be a sure-fire hit falling in sized between Everlite and Everillo but dazzling with green leaves that feature a large bright gold central band. I also like Eversheen, which is slightly smaller than Everillo reaching 16 inches tall and wide with green leaves and a bight lime stripe in the middle. Lastly is Everglow that is 12 to 18 inches tall with green and gold variegation that exhibits orange in the central lower parts of the plant. While they all may sound similar, I assure you each has distinct color patterns.
Everlite will reach 10 inches tall and 8 inches wide. But I feel in the South after watching Everillo out-perform its projections that Everlite
Botanically speaking, these EverColor grasses or sedges are all selections of Carex oshimensis or Japanese sedge. There seems to be no plant combination that is not made better by partnering with one of these grasses. The
Everlite carex is the most compact of the EverColor group and is also the most coldhardy
Eversheen carex offers green and lime striped foliage. (Photo Courtesy of the Southern Living Plant Collection)
