The Weeping Siberian Peashrub, otherwise known as the Caragana Arborescens ‘Pendula’ or Japanese Sedge ‘Variegata’, Morrow’s Sedge ‘Variegata’, Variegated Sedge, is a rather well known ornamental grass plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and moderate growth, this ornamental grass will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its dark green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, this is exactly what we’ll cover in this Weeping Siberian Peashrub Care Guide. So let’s dive in.
In order to take proper care of your Weeping Siberian Peashrub you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Weeping Siberian Peashrub grows best with watering each week. Increase the frequency of watering when it gets hot.
- Light: Keep your Caragana Arborescens ‘Pendula’ in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Weeping Siberian Peashrub in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
And that’s practically it! If you keep these three factors in check, your Weeping Siberian Peashrub will likely have all it needs for it to survive and even thrive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Weeping Siberian Peashrub belongs to the Cyperaceae family, the genus Carex and the species Morrowii, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Caragana Arborescens ‘Pendula’ (kar-uh-GAN-uh ar-bo-RES-senz).
As with other Carex’s, the Weeping Siberian Peashrub is a deciduous plant, which means it will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
Growing Region
The Weeping Siberian Peashrub is a plant native to Siberia, Manchuria and southern Japan.
As a rule of thumb, we recommend always keep in mind your plants’ native region and environment, since these are the conditions that your Weeping Siberian Peashrub is most accustomed to, thus where it can most favorably.
With this in mind, the Caragana Arborescens ‘Pendula’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 1 – 12 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7a, 7b, 8b, 8a, 9b, 9a and the ideal climate zone is between 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Weeping Siberian Peashrub is a relatively moderate grower, which makes things somewhat easy for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, what size of Weeping Siberian Peashrub are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
The Caragana Arborescens ‘Pendula’ can grow up to 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) in 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) and 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) in 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm).
These dimensions make the Weeping Siberian Peashrub a relatively medium ornamental grass compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful weeping shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 24″ (60cm) free so the Weeping Siberian Peashrub can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Weeping Siberian Peashrub is a fairly simple plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Caragana Arborescens ‘Pendula’ grows best with watering each week. Increase the frequency of watering when it gets hot.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Weeping Siberian Peashrub in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has moist properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
In our experience, the famous ‘thumb’ or ‘finger’ test is what works best for the Weeping Siberian Peashrub since with it, you will be able to give it the right amount of water, every time – regardless of the environment or placement where you do decide to keep it.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Weeping Siberian Peashrub prefers to have soil with moist properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Weeping Siberian Peashrub requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this ornamental grass will do well as long as you keep it in shade or partial sun to full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Caragana Arborescens ‘Pendula’ in from full or deep shade (no direct sunlight or at most 2 hours per day), to little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to dappled or moderate shade (under other plant’s canopy), and finally full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a deciduous plant, the Weeping Siberian Peashrub will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (early, mid, late), the summer (early, mid, late), the fall, and during the winter.
Flowers
You can expect your Weeping Siberian Peashrub to flower around the spring months from April to June (spring).
In particular, this ornamental grass is well known for its showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Weeping Siberian Peashrub produces some beautiful yellow or brown/copper flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Weeping Siberian Peashrub have a beautiful dark green color during most of the year.
You can expect the leaves from your Caragana Arborescens ‘Pendula’ to be around (> 6 inches) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Weeping Siberian Peashrub is well known for its tolerance to wet soil and animals like deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Caragana Arborescens ‘Pendula’ will be fine.
Companion Plants
With a summery, light green color and delicate leaves that resemble lace, the Weeping Siberian Peashrub is striking by itself. But when paired with other plants such as Lilacs or Russian Sage, it really shines. Also, try pairing it up with Shasta Daisies to bring out its best qualities all season long, you will love what happens in your garden.
Garden
Now, let’s talk garden and how your Weeping Siberian Peashrub will look best in it.
Most Caragana Arborescens ‘Pendula’ owners agree that this ornamental grass will look great in most contemporary gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of informal and cottage, city and courtyard, gravel and rock garden, and in modern garden styles.
In particular, the Weeping Siberian Peashrub’s best location within your garden is in ground covers, beds and borders, and in patio and containers, others use it for landscaping in a coastal exposure, hedge, border, erosion control, or a privacy screen.
Related Questions
How big does a Siberian Peashrub get?
A Siberian Peashrub grows as large shrubs or small trees up to 18 ft tall with rigid stems from its thick root stratum. This allows it to forage mineral resources such as calcium in significantly higher concentrations than other plants due to its low sodium content (these roots often reach deep into limestone soils). Its foliage is dense along branches since each stem only supports one tufted branch, unlike most bushes/shrubs, so new shoots develop laterally.
Is Siberian Peashrub invasive?
The Siberian Peashrub is a plant that fixes nitrogen and competes with other shrub species. It can grow on woodland edges, savannas, or in open fields.
Are Siberian pea shrubs edible?
The seeds, seedpod, and oil are from this plant all edible. To prepare the seeds for cooking you would need to remove their tough coatings at least a day before using them in order to reduce any bitter flavor they might have. You can use these super nutritious seeds as an ingredient or garnish them when preparing almost anything like spicy curries.
Are Siberian peas good for chickens to eat?
Siberian pea seeds are a favorite food of chickens. They’re easy to harvest and can be fed to the birds in winter or let them eat it themselves when they ripen naturally in autumn.
Conclusion
The Weeping Siberian Peashrub is a flowering shrub that’s native to Siberia, which makes it the perfect plant for those who like gardening in colder climates. Now that you know what is required to maintain this beautiful plant in your garden go out and get one. In case your friends also have an interest in gardening or plants, please share this article with them so they can enjoy the benefits of growing their own Weeping Siberian Peashrub as well.
