From Canada south to Texas and east to Florida, you will find the native North American Carex annectens, usually growing in wetlands, ponds, and damp disturbed sites, and only occasionally in drier meadows. In the garden, Carex annectens forms a 15″ tall x 4′ wide dense clump of narrow green foliage. The clumps are topped for us, starting in late April, with a stunning floral show of yellowish-tan plumes held just above the foliage. The seed heads are prized by both songbirds and waterfowl, but in smaller gardens, we recommend an annual beheading after flowering to allow the new growth to re-emerge fresh and prevent too many unwanted offspring.
