Carex comans bronze form is without doubt a favourite, especially if you want dramatic bronze colour year round in the garden. Plant thick swathes of it around big aloes, agaves and Euphorbia tirucalli, or in between smaller aloes or large, smooth river stones. Hardy. Mature size about 40 x 50 cm.
There are many varieties to choose from in the genus Carex. Some are stately ornamental grasses with delicate, curved blades in golden brown to copper colours, while others grow regimentally upright in shades of brown.
Some, looking a little confused, can only be described as being the colour of scrambled eggs; others are smartly striped in green and cream, and green and bright yellow. Ornamental grasses like Carex hachijoensis ‘Evergold’, which have yellow or white leaves with green edges, make lovely ground covers around plants with strong forms. The carex types in shades of brown and khaki that look almost like dry veld grass, are currently most fashionable and are being used in garden design to create natural-looking, low-maintenance ‘veld grass’ gardens. They are also planted in rockeries, and en masse around focal plants with strong forms, as well as interesting tree stumps and garden sculptures.