Carex siderosticha ‘Golden Falls’ (syn. ‘Banana Boat’)

Broad-leaved Sedge Cyperaceae

A wonderfully luminous sedge for the shade garden, Carex siderosticha ‘Golden Falls’ produces broad, soft-textured leaves dramatically striped in golden yellow and green, forming low, gently cascading clumps that seem almost to glow beneath trees. The spring growth is particularly spectacular, with the fresh golden foliage pouring from the centre of the plant like a miniature waterfall — hence the rather appropriate name. It is a rhizomatous, slowly spreading sedge rather than a tight tussock, eventually forming a useful groundcover without behaving like an invasive runner. Happiest in moist, humus-rich soil and partial to fairly deep shade, it tolerates surprisingly heavy shade, although brighter filtered light produces the strongest colouring. Small, inconspicuous brown flower spikes appear in spring, but this is emphatically a plant grown for its foliage. Excellent beneath deciduous trees, alongside paths and among ferns and woodland perennials.

Cultivar origin: Introduced by Terra Nova Nurseries, USA, in 2002, as ‘Banana Boat’; the original selection/raiser is not documented. ‘Banana Boat’ is now treated by the RHS as a synonym of ‘Golden Falls’.
Flowering: April–May
Hardiness: H5, approximately −15 to −10°C
Height: 20–25 cm
Spread: 30–45 cm