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CAREX CLASSROOM
The Carex Classroom is designed to help educate specifiers, ecologists, landscape designers and plant experts on the nuances of the many species available.
Midwest Natural Garden
The Carex Classroom was planted in 2017 to help specifiers, ecologists, landscape designers and plant experts distinguish the nuances of the many species available. The Classroom design allows visitors to see various sedges and helps promote their increased use in a garden environment.Â
The Carex Classroom is great for showcasing Carex’s versatility, both in habit and texture. They can vary from having thicker blades and a tall habit, to others which have a finer texture and lie low to the ground like Carex pensylvanica or bicknellli. Some Carex are clump-forming and others spread by runners, for example: Carex frankii is a runner, while jamesii and bromoides are clump-forming. Carex shortii and lupulina both spread by runners and have coarse texture blades. How the Carex spread will make a difference in how they look in the garden space.
And it’s versatile: a growing trend for Carex is to consider it as a lawn substitute where grass may not grow well. Additionally Carex is great to be used like a traditional groundcover to suppress weeds, Carex pensylvanica being one of the more popular choices in this scenario. Thinking with the residential landscape in mind, Carex are great to interplant in a matrix-style planting with other accent plants, like solidago or asters, or even ephemerals. When the ephemerals go dormant, the Carex will form a mat to fill the empty spaces in the garden. Our Cottage Garden at the Natural Garden was planted like this, incorporating Carex rosea, Allium cernuum, Koeleria macrantha, and Dodecatheon meadia to ensure interest for all seasons.
Midwest Natural Garden is a production nursery site and is not open to the public. Customers and industry professionals are welcome to visit the Carex Classroom and Natives Gardens. The Midwest Natural Garden is located at 38W443 IL-64, St. Charles, Illinois, 60175.
To arrange a professional tour, contact your sales representative at 847-742-1790.
The Carex Classroom is great for showcasing Carex’s versatility, both in habit and texture. They can vary from having thicker blades and a tall habit, to others which have a finer texture and lie low to the ground like Carex pensylvanica or bicknellli. Some Carex are clump-forming and others spread by runners, for example: Carex frankii is a runner, while jamesii and bromoides are clump-forming. Carex shortii and lupulina both spread by runners and have coarse texture blades. How the Carex spread will make a difference in how they look in the garden space.
And it’s versatile: a growing trend for Carex is to consider it as a lawn substitute where grass may not grow well. Additionally Carex is great to be used like a traditional groundcover to suppress weeds, Carex pensylvanica being one of the more popular choices in this scenario. Thinking with the residential landscape in mind, Carex are great to interplant in a matrix-style planting with other accent plants, like solidago or asters, or even ephemerals. When the ephemerals go dormant, the Carex will form a mat to fill the empty spaces in the garden. Our Cottage Garden at the Natural Garden was planted like this, incorporating Carex rosea, Allium cernuum, Koeleria macrantha, and Dodecatheon meadia to ensure interest for all seasons.
Midwest Natural Garden is a production nursery site and is not open to the public. Customers and industry professionals are welcome to visit the Carex Classroom and Natives Gardens. The Midwest Natural Garden is located at 38W443 IL-64, St. Charles, Illinois, 60175.
To arrange a professional tour, contact your sales representative at 847-742-1790.
Midwest Garden Pros
Part of the Midwest Garden Pros Series, this video talks about all things Carex. At Midwest, we primarily focus on the Carex species that are native to Illinois, though it can be challenging for even the best ecologists to identify these plants in the wild, and where they will thrive in the landscape. We’ve heard this feedback from visitors and customers alike, which is what led to the creation of the Carex Classroom.
More Carex Videos
This webinar helps simplify using Carex in the landscape, with species ranging from 1,100 to nearly 2,000. Nikki and Shannon highlight Midwest-native varieties, share insights from our “Carex Classroom” garden, and break down 13 key species.
Learn why Carex bromoides, or Brome Hummock Sedge, and Aquilegia canadensis, or Wild Columbine, make a great plant combination. Both of these plants tolerate full sun to full shade with moist, well drained soils.
Join plant specialists Nikki Melin and Shannon McErnerny as they explore the diverse world of Carex. This webinar covers a 4-year study evaluating 70 species and cultivars for vigor, adaptability, and garden performance. With insights on care, uses, and over 30 standout varieties, you’re sure to find the perfect Carex for your landscape.
CAREX CLASSROOM
The Carex Classroom is designed to help educate specifiers, ecologists, landscape designers and plant experts on the nuances of the many species available.
Midwest Natural Garden
The Carex Classroom was planted in 2017 to help specifiers, ecologists, landscape designers and plant experts distinguish the nuances of the many species available. The Classroom design allows visitors to see various sedges and helps promote their increased use in a garden environment.Â
The Carex Classroom is great for showcasing Carex’s versatility, both in habit and texture. They can vary from having thicker blades and a tall habit, to others which have a finer texture and lie low to the ground like Carex pensylvanica or bicknellli. Some Carex are clump-forming and others spread by runners, for example: Carex frankii is a runner, while jamesii and bromoides are clump-forming. Carex shortii and lupulina both spread by runners and have coarse texture blades. How the Carex spread will make a difference in how they look in the garden space.
And it’s versatile: a growing trend for Carex is to consider it as a lawn substitute where grass may not grow well. Additionally Carex is great to be used like a traditional groundcover to suppress weeds, Carex pensylvanica being one of the more popular choices in this scenario. Thinking with the residential landscape in mind, Carex are great to interplant in a matrix-style planting with other accent plants, like solidago or asters, or even ephemerals. When the ephemerals go dormant, the Carex will form a mat to fill the empty spaces in the garden. Our Cottage Garden at the Natural Garden was planted like this, incorporating Carex rosea, Allium cernuum, Koeleria macrantha, and Dodecatheon meadia to ensure interest for all seasons.
Midwest Natural Garden is a production nursery site and is not open to the public. Customers and industry professionals are welcome to visit the Carex Classroom and Natives Gardens. The Midwest Natural Garden is located at 38W443 IL-64, St. Charles, Illinois, 60175.
To arrange a professional tour, contact your sales representative at 847-742-1790.
The Carex Classroom is great for showcasing Carex’s versatility, both in habit and texture. They can vary from having thicker blades and a tall habit, to others which have a finer texture and lie low to the ground like Carex pensylvanica or bicknellli. Some Carex are clump-forming and others spread by runners, for example: Carex frankii is a runner, while jamesii and bromoides are clump-forming. Carex shortii and lupulina both spread by runners and have coarse texture blades. How the Carex spread will make a difference in how they look in the garden space.
And it’s versatile: a growing trend for Carex is to consider it as a lawn substitute where grass may not grow well. Additionally Carex is great to be used like a traditional groundcover to suppress weeds, Carex pensylvanica being one of the more popular choices in this scenario. Thinking with the residential landscape in mind, Carex are great to interplant in a matrix-style planting with other accent plants, like solidago or asters, or even ephemerals. When the ephemerals go dormant, the Carex will form a mat to fill the empty spaces in the garden. Our Cottage Garden at the Natural Garden was planted like this, incorporating Carex rosea, Allium cernuum, Koeleria macrantha, and Dodecatheon meadia to ensure interest for all seasons.
Midwest Natural Garden is a production nursery site and is not open to the public. Customers and industry professionals are welcome to visit the Carex Classroom and Natives Gardens. The Midwest Natural Garden is located at 38W443 IL-64, St. Charles, Illinois, 60175.
To arrange a professional tour, contact your sales representative at 847-742-1790.
Midwest Garden Pros
Part of the Midwest Garden Pros Series, this video talks about all things Carex. At Midwest, we primarily focus on the Carex species that are native to Illinois, though it can be challenging for even the best ecologists to identify these plants in the wild, and where they will thrive in the landscape. We’ve heard this feedback from visitors and customers alike, which is what led to the creation of the Carex Classroom.
More Carex Videos
This webinar helps simplify using Carex in the landscape, with species ranging from 1,100 to nearly 2,000. Nikki and Shannon highlight Midwest-native varieties, share insights from our “Carex Classroom” garden, and break down 13 key species.
Learn why Carex bromoides, or Brome Hummock Sedge, and Aquilegia canadensis, or Wild Columbine, make a great plant combination. Both of these plants tolerate full sun to full shade with moist, well drained soils.
Join plant specialists Nikki Melin and Shannon McErnerny as they explore the diverse world of Carex. This webinar covers a 4-year study evaluating 70 species and cultivars for vigor, adaptability, and garden performance. With insights on care, uses, and over 30 standout varieties, you’re sure to find the perfect Carex for your landscape.