Carex morrowii ‘Ice Dance’: Graceful as a Salchow

‘Ice Dance’ has long been one of the most popular and versatile varieties in our ornamental grass lineup. Carex, of course, is not a true grass; it’s a sedge. But let’s not quibble. This petite gem works in the border, as edging, or in containers. It’s even used as a substitute for Hosta!

‘Ice Dance’ features wide green leaves with creamy white margins, charmingly displayed in a gracefully arching habit. It gleams in full sun and glows in light shade. The warmer your climate, the more shade it will appreciate. It looks good even in winter, and in very mild zones may even be evergreen. 

Height: 12 - 18". Hardy in Zones 5 – 9.

The Game of the Name 

The genus name is Latin for “cutter.” Because, like skaters, “sedges have edges.”

Globe-trotting plant explorer Barry Yinger brought ‘Ice Dance’ to the US in the 1990s, but the species is named for a much earlier collector. The specific epithet honors physician and agriculturalist James J. Morrow, who sailed with Commodore M.C. Perry’s “gunboat diplomacy” expedition to Japan in the 1850s. 

Even if you can’t tell a triple axel from a toe loop, you’ll still nail the landing with ‘Ice Dance’. It comes in 38-cell liners from Emerald Coast Growers – your easy choice!