Tut Family Grasses
Cyperus ‘Prince Tut’ over an island of Calibrachoa and Heuchera
In case you missed it, we’ve added ‘Prince Tut’ to our line of Cyperus grasses. It snuck in under the radar but it’s an important piece of the Tut puzzle. When you want that fun sparkler-type look, only Tut has it and sometimes ‘King Tut’ is too big and ‘Baby Tut’ is just too small. Here are some ideas on how to use Cyperus this summer.
Cyperus ‘King Tut’ with Phlox ‘Intensia Blueberry’ around its feet
‘Prince Tut’ falls right in the middle sizewise at around 2-1/2 to 4 feet tall—it’s shorter than ‘King Tut’ but with the same large poms. This is good news if you want to design a smaller patio pot, for example, or carry a theme through several planters in varying sizes. People always want to reach out and touch this plant so having a slightly shorter version makes the tassels more accessible.
Cyperus pots (‘Prince Tut’ and ‘King Tut’ shown) can go directly into the water
Drama aside, expanding its size range makes the Tut series even more versatile. These plants tolerate standing water so we already use them along pond and stream edges in addition to regular landscape beds. They thrive in the oppressive summer heat and last all the way to November when the temps get down around 35°F. Established plants even do well with a bit of dry weather, as long as it’s not too dry for too long.
Even Cyperus ‘Baby Tut’ can serve as a cover over difficult land features
Now back to the drama. We can simply plant a group of Tuts in any size for a soft, natural focal point with instant tropical flare. If you have an old pump or pipe you need to hide ‘King Tut’ makes an exotic screen, swaying in the breeze.
These distinctive island arrangements are easy to make for pottery or beds
Practically any color goes with these grasses, so we can add a rainbow of Calibrachoas, Petunias, or even Coleus around the base. Try ‘Prince Tut’ with ‘Blackie’ Ipomoea and Spreading Petunia ‘Surfina Heavenly Blue’ for an elegant outdoor arrangement. For indoor applications, ‘Baby Tut’ has a whimsical look.
Fireworks-style plumes make ‘Prince Tut’ interesting on its own
If you’re going with an all Tut display, they do prefer a watery environment so use containers with no drainage holes or plug any existing ones. You can even leave them in their pots and drop them right into the water if you want to keep them from spreading out too far. Easy.
We featured Cyperus ‘King Tut’ in one of our Field Day containers last year
‘King Tut’, ‘Prince Tut’, and ‘Baby Tut’ come in the 4.5-inch and 1-gallon pot sizes. Please refer to the Availability section of our web site for our current selection of fresh summer accent plants.
