|
Carex flacca 'Blue Zinger' (Blue Zinger Sedge) - A tough and beautiful cool season growing silver-blue evergreen sedge that grows 12 to 20 inches tall (twice the height of the species) by 2 feet wide with narrow 3/16-inch-wide leaves that are a light blue green on the upper surface and more uniformly gray-blue below with the overall look being quite blue. The foot tall inflorescence in early summer is neither showy nor detracts from the clean look of this plant.
Plant in full sun to light shade. Once established it has shown moderate drought resistance, especially in part shade, or plant in full sun with average to occasional garden water. It is cold hardy and useful in USDA Zone 4 and above. This sedge is a moderately slow but a steady spreader in a low-water use garden, but spreads much more rapidly with ample water and fertilizer. Once established it has shown moderate drought resistance, especially in part shade; or plant in full sun with average to occasional garden water - with less water it will remain a bit lower. Hardy to USDA Zone 4. Resistant to deer browsing. It is a great groundcover for that cool blue feel and with longer more upright leaves than the species it appears a little more graceful looking. It is also a bit more clump forming than the species but still spreads slowly with runners that can be encourages by trimming back lightly – a mowing set at 4 inches high done three to four times a year keeps this plant vigorous and neat. It tolerates some traffic or it can be used directly in a water garden planted up to 2" below the water surface.
Carex flacca is from the area around the Mediterranean Sea where it grows in calcareous grasslands, sand dunes and in estuaries in Europe and North Africa. The name for the genus is a Latin word describing the sedges and the specific epithet is from the Latin word 'flaccus' that means "weak", "limp" or "drooping' in reference to the way the pliable foliage lays over.
'Blue Zinger' is a selected form introduced by Emerald Coast Growers of Pensacola, Florida. For more information on the species see our listing of Carex flacca. We grew and sold this this nice selection of Carex flacca starting in 2018 and continued to offer it up until when we closed our nursery in 2025.
The information displayed on this page about Carex flacca 'Blue Zinger' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
|
