Plant Care Library

Other Names:  Soft Rush, Bog Rush, Mat Rush

Description:

An attractive selection, featuring graceful, fine textured, bright green stems and reddish brown flowers in summer; grows in spreading clumps; well suited to aquatic containers and boggy, poorly drained areas; great water garden or pond accent

Ornamental Features

Carman's Sacred Japanese Rush features airy cymes of brick red flowers with brown overtones at the ends of the stems from early summer to early fall. Its attractive grassy leaves are green in color. The foliage often turns tan in fall. The tan seed heads are carried on plumes from early to late fall.

Landscape Attributes

Carman's Sacred Japanese Rush is a dense herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading

Carman's Sacred Japanese Rush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting
• Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing

Carman's Sacred Japanese Rush will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity extending to 24 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. This plant does not require much in the way of fertilizing once established. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Carman's Sacred Japanese Rush is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.