The rugged grass of the north

The native common rush forms stout tussocks in damp sunny locations throughout much of North America. An attractive plant seldom used in the garden, it grows in average soils but tolerates standing water as well. Juncus effusus looks like a very stout, coarse grass because its foliage consists of only pithy cylindrical stems and lacks leaf blades. Modern textural schemes are a great context for planting it en masse. From a distance it looks soft like prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepsis), but closer viewing reveals its bristly ruggedness.