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Juncus effusus soft rush
soft rush
Characteristics
Descriptions
Light Requirements
sun, part-sun
Soil Moisture
moist, wet
Soil Description
acid, rich, average, loam, clay, sand
Height
2'-4'
Bloom Time
July, August, September
Bloom Color
yellow, green, brown
Hardiness Zone
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Description
Juncus effusus has round stems characteristic of all rushes, and can grow up to a height of 4’ under ideal conditions with rich, wet soil, and in full sun. Under drier conditions, its height will be reduced with plants staying in the 2 to 3’ range. It has an attractive clumping habit with upright, to arching, medium-green stems. By mid summer, yellowish flower clusters (cymes) emerge laterally from the stems, later giving way to brown seed capsules. The species has a broad worldwide distribution, and is tolerant of temperature extremes ranging from zone 3 to 10. It is evergreen in the warmer areas of its native range.
Cultivation
With a strong fibrous root system, and the ability to be submerged in up to 6” of water, soft rush has long been a favorite for erosion control and wetland restoration. More recently, and due to its ability to withstand intermittent and short dry spells, it has experienced a surge in popularity for use in rain gardens, bioretention systems, and bioswales. This adaptability to fluctuating conditions and tolerance of more typical moist garden conditions, opens up a world of design possibilities where its compact and upright habit will provide an exceptional vertical accent. It can spread aggressively when grown under its preferred conditions, which is why it is so popular for erosion control and wetland restorations. However, seed germination is slow and tricky, and the primary method for colonization is vegetative via short rhizomes. Zones 3-10
Additional Notes
The etymology of the genus Juncus, can possibly be traced back to the Latin word jungere, meaning ‘to tie or bind’. This could be a reference to the fact that species from this genus have been used going back millenia (and throughout the world) to fashion ropes, mats, and other weaving endeavors.
The specific epithet effusus, also has Latin origins and means ‘extensive, vast, spreading, etc’ and is a reference to this species’ growing habit.
The common name, soft rush, is used to distinguish it from the scouring rush (Equisetum hyemale). This latter species has the particularity of absorbing large amounts of silica that can be felt on its rough-textured stems, and has been used traditionally as a fine grit sanding and polishing option.
Pricing & Availability
Maps, Wetland Status & More
MAP OF NATIVE RANGE
Recorded County Distribution: USDA data.
Native To
| AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV, AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, LA, MT, NM, NV, OR, TX, WA |
Legal Status
Wetland Status
| Arid West | FACW |
| Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain | OBL |
| Eastern Mountains and Piedmont | FACW |
| Great Plains | OBL |
| Midwest | OBL |
| Northcentral and Northeast | OBL |
| Western Mountains, Valleys, and Coast | FACW |
MAP OF WETLAND DELINEATION REGIONS
Interpreting Wetland Status
|
Code |
Status |
Designation |
Comment |
|
OBL |
Obligate Wetland |
Hydrophyte |
Almost always occur in wetlands |
|
FACW |
Facultative Wetland |
Hydrophyte |
Usually occur in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands |
|
FAC |
Facultative |
Hydrophyte |
Occur in wetlands and non-wetlands |
|
FACU |
Facultative Upland |
Nonhydrophyte |
Usually occur in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands |
|
UPL |
Obligate Upland |
Nonhydrophyte |
Almost never occur in wetlands |
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants |
| Superdivision | Spermatophyta | Seed plants |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocotyledons |
| Subclass | Commelinidae | |
| Order | Juncales | |
| Family | Juncaceae | Rush family |
| Genus | Juncus | rush |
| Species | Juncus effusus | soft rush |
ADDITIONAL COMMON NAMES:
common rush
Plant Sizes
Sizes Sizes
Sizes info
Shipping & Planting
SHIPPING INFO:
Shipping is free on all plants orders!
Your plants will ship using each grower’s preferred method: FedEx Ground, UPS Ground, or Spee-Dee Ground (in select midwestern states). Our growers ship orders Monday through Wednesday. The farther your plants need to travel, the earlier in the week they will ship. The goal is to have all plants delivered by the end of the week.
Shipping plugs:
Plugs are shipped in full flats, sometimes also referred to as trays. Multiple flats can be shipped in a single box. The flats are wrapped in netting or craft paper to secure the plants, and spacers are used between flats to keep the plants from being crushed.
When you unpack your plugs, the plants will have been somewhat flattened by the netting or craft paper. They will straighten out within a couple of days. You may also gently “fluff” them a bit to speed up the process. In some cases, your plants might have been cut back before packing, if the grower deemed them to have become too tall for safe packaging. Don’t worry, though, these guys know what they’re doing and would not compromise the health of the plants. They’ll fill back in in no time.
After receiving your plants’ journey in a dark box, it will be important to acclimate them to sunlight again. Over a couple of days, you should gradually move them into their preferred light exposure, and water them as per their requirement.
Although we always recommend putting your plants in the ground as soon as possible, they can stay healthy in the flats for a considerable amount of time. The key is to respect their growing requirements: if the species requires full sun, do not store them in the shade. If it is best adapted to dry soil, do not over-water.
PLANTING INFO:
Planting plugs:
We consider plugs ready to ship when the plants’ roots have filled the entire liner cell and the plants can easily be pulled out. In some cases you will have to go about it gently, wiggling the plant by the crown, and possibly squeezing the bottom of the liner to compress the growing medium and release the roots. Other times, the plants will appear to be root bound. They are not in the traditional sense. The plants are healthy but they have used up all the growing medium available to them. Plugs are at an aggressive stage of growth. As soon as planted the roots will immediately expand into your native soil. They establish faster than plants in larger containers, because they don’t have the luxury of a lot of growing media that can inhibit the roots from venturing outside of their comfort zone.
We are not going to address area preparation because the process can be complex and is always site-specific. However, as a rule, we recommend disturbing the soil as little as possible, and we do not recommend amending the soil. If you chose the right plant for the right conditions they will thrive. Any disturbance and amendments will only encourage weeds to emerge that never had a chance to do so before.
Installing plugs cannot be easier: dig a hole large enough for the roots to fit snugly inside, then water them in to eliminate air gaps. We recommend using a soil knife, sometimes referred to as hori hori, or a drill-adapted auger if it’s a large installation. If you use an auger, you will need a powerful drill. Depending on the size of the project and the type of soil, the process can be beyond what an average drill will bear. Mulching is recommended after installation to help keep weeds down while the plants establish. Be sure to keep it away from the crown of the plants. For large projects, you may want to mulch the area before planting, rather than tiptoeing through it after the fact. As a side note: if you are installing plugs in the fall, you might want to plant them so that the crown is about ¾” lower than the surrounding soil. The winter’s freeze/thaw cycles can push plugs out if the roots did not have enough time to establish and anchor them in.