Carex oshimensis 'Everillo': A Golden Light in the Garden
Monday, June 30, 2014 at 1:40PM This is my first year with Carex oshimensis 'Everillo', and I have only good things to say about it. It is in in a purple pot beside the stone steps leading down to my woodland garden, where it arches gracefully amidst other woodland plants. 
The foliage is striking, starting out chartreuse and then shading to golden yellow through the summer. This gorgeous ornamental grass does have flowers, but they are insignificant. It will grow in full sun to part shade. Morning sun will bring out the golden lights in the foliage, while the plant will maintain its chartreuse color in shadier spots.
Everillo looks great with other woodland plants such as ferns, hostas and heucheras. Its brilliant gold foliage also contrasts beautifully with many flowering plants. My own Everillo cascades over orange Impatiens. Next year I plan to add the dramatically colored Persian Shield to the summer color scheme. When the summer annuals are gone, evergreen Everillo continues to brighten the landscape and will provide a welcome warm glow in the depth of winter.
Everillo is a type of sedge. Pat Fitzgerald, of Fitzgerald Nurseries, Ltd. in Ireland, discovered this mutation of C. 'Evergold' in 2006. It is easy to grow and is low maintenance. It is not bothered by insects or disease and is deer proof. It will grow in U.S. hardiness zones 5-11. It grows well in containers, and it also may be used as a ground cover or an edging plant.
A well-behaved plant, Everillo has a slow to moderate growth rate, growing in clumps up to about 2 feet wide. It will grow in clay, but it likes well-drained garden soil best. It has average water needs, though it can survive both wet and dry conditions. I water my potted specimen regularly. For those who live near the sea, Everillo is moderately salt tolerant.
If necessary, cut back Everillo by up to half from April to July. Do not cut back in autumn or winter. The clumps can be divided in early spring. Also, neaten clumps in spring by raking or combing out any damaged or dead leaves. Fertilize in spring and mulch around the plant.
Now that I have discovered Everillo, I am exploring other types of sedges and a whole new part of the gardening world... just when I thought my garden was almost complete. I should have known better!
Reader Comments (21)
That plant really does look like it emits its own light, and brightening its surroundings, fabulous!
Deb, I did a post on taking out my Ice Dance and how you could not believe anything they printed on the plant tag. I hope your 'Everillo' does not have the same characteristics. Saying it is low maintenance was only good the first two years then it needed dividing constantly, and it was like digging it out of concrete the root system was so tenacious. I wish you good luck with it over time. I love carex for commercial properties but not in home gardening situations. It may also have a lot to do with our differing climates. You said you have clay and so do I here. Wish you luck!
I like the color of 'Everillo' and will have to look for it. I have 'Evergold' in my garden and, although it's said to require regular water, I find mine do alright with my stingy watering regime. I have had difficulty combing the dead growth from some clumps, however - maybe they just need dividing. Mine seem to be happiest in a pot.
I like the idea of growing grasses in pots. Then, you can move them as needed.
Once you discover grasses it is easy to become hooked, the are brilliant at adding movement which can be lacking in a garden based on shrubs and trees. I have noted the comments above so I hope you don't encounter problems later, growing it in a pot will make it easier to divide when you need to.
It looks a lovely plant for shade, I must look for it at our local nursery. If it is in a pot it should be well behaved!
It must look like a patch of sunshine in a dark corner.
Oh my goodness! It's lovely! I need to add more Sedges to my garden. Trying to figure out the best places. :)
I'm not keen on anything that snakes could hide under. This looks like a snake gitter.
Hello, everyone! Thanks for all your comments! Donna, one difference between Ice Dance and Everillo is that Ice Dance spreads by underground rhizomes, whereas Everillo is clump forming. Nevertheless, I am hesitant to add any sort of grass to my garden because my climate can make monsters out of the most innocuous plants, that is, if it doesn't kill them. I have enough rampant spreaders already! I actually was given Everillo, and I was not sure what to do with it. That is why I have Everillo in a pot, but I have come to love it. I love its color and arching form. I have cautiously added another clumping sedge, Blue Zinger, beside the woodland steps. It is in the soil, and am waiting to see how it will do. Thanks for wishing me luck!
And Linda, with all the voles and chipmunks in my garden, I welcome snakes. We are good neighbors, leaving each other alone. Deb
I love it, but have never grown it in the garden, just as a container plant. It's the color that is so striking....sigh.
Jen
Love the location you chose for this plant and I like the approach of using a pot, I found the comments of your guests to be really useful. I have hesitated to go in this direction in the past, but I think your tips have given me some great ideas so I can be successful.
I have Carex oshimensis 'Evergold' and it is a very easy, drought tolerant, well behaved plant.
It's beautiful! I have wild sedge growing in my garden in the summer but it's not nearly as pretty. This would be stunning in a deeply colored container. I'll have to keep an eye out for this. :)
I like this grass...many of mine did not come back from this harsh winter and the voles that like to use them for nests. I'll add this to a possible list of replacements.
Hello Deb,
Thanks fof this post it popped up in one of my searches I sometines do to see how gardeners are enjoying some of my new introductions. I was really delighted to find another positive post and thank you for sharing. Im now going to recommend Everillo to my Aunt in Baton Rouge based on several positive reports from the wonderful Southern State of Alabama which I last visited in 1999 and thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Hope to get back soon and this time some of my plants will b Ed there :). All I can say to finish is thank you for trying Everillo, you are right its not spreading or deep rooting like other Carex as its from C. oshimensis and behaves like Evergold and part of my www.evercolorplants.com collection.
With kindest regards from Ireland
Pat FitzGerald
I have found Everillo to be great providing a unique color. I mix it with black mondo grass and the effect is stunning. I add a few purple sedum for another color mix. You can paint with plants. I live on the Olympic Peninsula zone 8.
Hi,
I hope you can help, we had some Evergold planted earlier this year, but now all but 1 of the plants are dying. We think it could be down to the fact that the plants are planted on gravel, and this could be the issue - we have one that is doing well and this is planted very close in bark.
Any ideas/thoughts?
Thanks,
Andy Longhurst
Hello Andy,
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Carex needs well-drained garden soil to do well. If your plants are actually planted in gravel, the stone will not provide the nutrients the plants need. If your plants are planted in good, well-draining soil with a gravel mulch on the surface of the soil , then they should be doing well. If your plants are planted in hard, compacted soil beneath a gravel mulch, that also could be the culprit.
Best wishes!
Deb
It is a beautiful plant but mine has brown spots all up and down the plant could you please tell me why this is?
Hi Tammy, a couple of thoughts come to mind. First, your plant could have a fungal infection. Remove all infected parts of the plant and spray with an anti-fungal agent. However, did you cut back your plant this spring? Old plants will develop brown spots as they age. A good trim each spring, shearing up to a half of the grass and removing dead leaves, will tidy the plant and promote fresh new growth. I hope this helps! Deb
I love my Everillo! Unfortunately, 6 of the 9 plants I planted have the brown spots previously mentioned. They all are planted in good soil, watered regularly. They are in mostly sunny spots. I haven't trimmed them. They were in 4" pots. I should also mention that I planted over 100 plants in a 900 Sq ft area and these are the only ones that looks bad. Help!