Soft rush
Juncus effusus L.
Also called soft rush, common rush.
Clumps of smooth, upright, dark green round stems that stay green most of the winter in the South. Tolerates standing water and binds wet soil in rain-garden bottoms, swales and pond edges.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 0.6–1.2 m (2–4 ft) tall and 0.5–0.9 m (1–3 ft) wide; medium growth, about 3 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #1 install size.
Design notes
- Will not tolerate dry beds; plant only where soil stays moist or wet.
- Reseeds into bare wet soil; cut out old brown stems in late winter.
Regions
Native range: Wetlands of eastern North America (the species is nearly worldwide).
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
In the guides
Soft rush comes up in this guide:
Related plants
Try Soft rush in a plan
Opens your own copy of a finished sample garden in the planner with Soft rush ready to place; the planner checks it against that garden’s zone, light and moisture.
Plan with Soft rush
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.