Blades of glory

Add texture and interest with these strappy specimens

If you’re looking for a hardy lowmaintenance grass, this species of Carex is a great option. The olive-green foliage develops coppery highlights when planted in full sun. It can also cope with shade and grows to a height of 60cm once established.

This versatile grass grows well in most conditions and soil types. Choose from a large range of varieties to suit your garden’s colour palette: ‘Lime Tuff’ adds a zingy pop of fresh green; ‘White Sands’ has elegant cream stripes; and ‘Nyalla’ has green-blue tones and is ideal for coastal situations.

With bright green and yellow stripes and glossy leaves, Carex ‘Evergold’ elevates any planting scheme. At 30cm high, it’s a lower-growing grass, so the bright arching foliage can add definition to a border or garden bed, but it also looks great tumbling over the side of a pot. It prefers full sun in well-drained soil.

This grey-green native reed grows in coastal areas and wetlands so is well suited to problematic boggy areas, but can also tolerate dry conditions. It grows up to 1.5m high and spreads slowly via rhizomes, so if you want to fill an area quickly, plant it in a group.

Perfect for adding a touch of drama cascading out of a pot or as an accent plant in borders.

Make a bold statement by planting this attractive unfussy grass en masse.

When the foliage needs a tidy-up, cut it back to 5cm and it will produce fresh new growth.

Also known as jointed rush, this hardy wetland reed produces brown-red bracts in summer.