Q: Two years ago I bought this beautiful, unusual grass at a nursery. Overwintering it inside was unsuccessful, as you can see. It still looks beautiful even when it’s dead as a doornail.

Can you identify it for me so I can try to find a green one this spring?

A: It’s a corkscrew rush, Juncus effusus ‘Spiralis’. I had the same reaction as you: “I gotta get me one of those!”.

It’s an outdoor plant, though. You have to keep it in water or in a very moist spot. I keep mine at the edge of my backyard pond, supported in the water by a brick. I’ve seen corkscrew willow branches used to good effect in flower arrangements. There is no reason you can’t use your curly rush stems in the same way.

See Corkscrew Rush