[Lanelle]

Got a question today from a customer that I need input to answer. Carex 'Old Gold' (sedge) was planted probably a year ago. What is the proper maintenance technique for it? Does it get cut back like liriope? Seems that it doesn't in Zone 7, but not sure. If it doesn't get cut back to the ground, and there is tip die back from the winter, then what should be done?
Thanks,

[GLAN]

We cut most all that down........Carex, Liriope.....It it's brown or tip burnt it gets cut......Though the Carex we have seen where in a some what protected and warm winter location may not need to be cut down every year.

[Bill Schwab]

Dang after seeing the title I thought you were going to start a thread about a muffler shop!

[pineapple]

We are zone 5. Carex is evergreen and slow growing here. We have tried to just cut off the brown parts, otherwise it doesnt recover by the end of summer.

You are in a warmer zone, so maybe it grows faster.

We've stopped using it, it looks like a mess after the first year.

[Dale Wiley]

Carex has a very wide type of plants.

We keep experimenting to see what works best up here in Zone 8.

Some carex does best being shaved, so will naturally die back and re grow,

Palm sedges, Ice Fountain and Little Midge like it wet, and grow back every year.

The leather leafs and tougher ones don't like to be sheared. We trimmed off some Knightshayes about a month ago, and there pretty slow coming back right now.

We currently grow about 18 different varieties. There is very limited information on sedges in reference form out there right now.

[trees]

We don't do anything to Carex, the evergreen species anyway. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to cut it back if it's looking pretty bedragled, but you don't need to.

Then again, I don't recommend cutting back Liriope, either. In warmer parts of the country it doesn't really need it and I'm not convinced it looks better cut back than if left alone. That said... Memphis is quite a bit more mild than NOVA..

[Lanelle]

Thanks for the help everyone!

[VoodooChile]

Killed a lot of Japanese Sedges....hope that helps!

[Dale Wiley]

Killed a lot of Japanese Sedges....hope that helps!

You must have been holding your mouth the wrong way when you looked at them.

We have tried and tried to start some of these to grow, both in the landscape and in the nursery. Only 1 - 1 gallon container is surviving, and now that I mentioned it, it will probably croak too.