NewsJardinTV, the channel that broadcasts the passion for plants, gardens, botany, nature and gardening, is pleased to welcome you to the garden of Nicole and Patrick Mioulane, for issue 275 of its daily show: "Le Quotidien du Jardin". Joëlle du Matin asks us the following question: You recently devoted a show to grasses with colorful foliage, completely omitting to talk about Carex, which in my opinion, are really interesting. Can you fill this omission by dedicating a video to them soon? Although they are always presented by nurseries and garden centers as grasses, Carex or sedges are Cyperaceae, which makes them cousin plants with papyrus (Cyperus). All Carex (2,772 taxa) are graminiform perennials, most of them rhizomatous or stoloniferous. In most cases, the culm (flowering stem) is erect, unbranched and solid, and has a triangular cross-section. This distinguishes Carex from grasses with hollow, cylindrical culms. The leaves of Carex, often evergreen, have a generally long, flat blade that spreads away from the stem and forms an enveloping sheath at the base. The leaves have parallel veins and a distinct midrib. Carex bring a variety of colours to a garden and act as decorative grasses in the same way as grasses, but probably with a wider range of shades and the ability of many species and cultivars to thrive in the shade. • Carex buchananii, Buchanan's sedge, is native to New Zealand. It forms a 40 cm tuft of thin, evergreen, reddish-brown leaves with a graceful shape. Hardiness: -8 °C. • Carex comans, originally from New Zealand, looks a lot like buchananii, but the tuft is more disheveled. For the garden, the cultivars 'Milk Chocolate' with its purple-brown foliage, 'Bronze Form' which turns orange in autumn and 'Frosted Curls' with its glaucous leaves curled at their tips are recommended. Hardiness: -10 °C. • Carex dipsacea, the autumn sedge, is originally from New Zealand. The plant forms a shaggy tuft of 70 cm with stiff but fine leaves. We especially welcome 'Dark Horse' in the garden with its orange-bronze leaves at the end of the season. • Carex elata, the stiff sedge or tall sedge is a species found in marshes in France. It forms an erect tuft 70 cm high with arched semi-evergreen leaves. The garden welcomes the cultivars 'Aurea', the golden sedge with entirely yellow leaves and 'Bowles Golden' with yellow leaves edged with green. Perfect hardiness. • Carex morrowii, the Japanese sedge is a stocky plant (30 cm) with semi-rigid leaves of which the variegated forms 'Variegata' and 'Ice Danse' are grown mainly in partial shade. Perfect hardiness. • Carex muskingumensis 'Silberstreif' (American sedge), An interesting plant for its strongly arched foliage variegated with creamy white. 70 x 45 cm. Moist soil. Hardiness: -20°C. • Carex oshimensis Oshima sedge, a Japanese species which forms a compact clump of 30 x 30 cm with fairly wide leaves. We mainly grow variegated forms such as: 'Everest', leaves edged with silvery white; 'Evergold' yellow with green edges; 'Everillo' lime-green foliage • Carex siderosticta 'the broad-leaved sedge forms a small, slow-growing clump (20 cm). Deciduous plant to be planted in partial shade in fresh soil. 'Island Brocade' has bright yellow variegated leaves. Hardiness: -12 °C. • Carex trifida the sheep sedge is native to Australia, New Zealand and Chile. We mainly grow 'Rekohu Sunrise' (striped sedge), which forms a very bright clump of fairly large evergreen leaves with several yellow stripes. 60 cm high, chilly plant (-8 °C) Once established, the sedges require no maintenance, except for cleaning the clump. Divide every 3 or 4 years to limit the size of the plant. Cut the flower stalks when they start to dry out, because they harden and can hurt. Some Carex (especially Carex pendula with its pretty hanging spikes) are very invasive plants whose flowers should not be allowed to ripen or they will quickly be invaded. Thank you for following this daily program. We hope you enjoyed it. Our team wishes you a pleasant time and invites you every evening for a new episode of our program "LE QUOTIDIEN DU JARDIN". It's on NewsJardinTV and nowhere else! Tomorrow, Patrick will answer the following question: I would like to know how to optimally grow Trichosanthes cucumerina (or other species of climbing Cucurbitaceae), the opportunity to discover this splendid vegetable that we don't talk about often enough!