6 Native Sedges for the Garden

Throughout the wilds of North America , sedge can be found in almost every habitat , from mountaintops to shady wetlands to coastal moxie dunes . This variety of native habitats leads to groovy versatility in cultivation , giving these plants the ability to fulfill just about every landscape painting niche conceivable . They require minimum maintenance , with most mintage require nothing more than a late - wintertime cutback . Sedges also kick in valuable ecosystem services by stabilizing filth and providing food for thought and shelter for wildlife .

Mt. Cuba Center ’s four - yr Carex trial pass judgment the horticultural qualities , zip , and adaptability of 70 different native species and their cultivar . Plants were grow in shade and sun in intermediate garden soil . Here are some of the ones that performed peculiarly well .

Wood’s sedgeforms exceptionally dense mats of foliage

Carexwoodii

Zones:4–8

Size:14 inches tall and 46 column inch wide-cut

Conditions : Full Lord’s Day to full specter ; mean to moist , well - drained stain

Native range : Eastern and central North America

woodwind ’s sedge has demand the horticultural world by tempest with its versatility and ravisher and earned top marks in Mt. Cuba Center ’s run . It thrives in shaded preferences but has also proven to be surprisingly adaptable to full sun . Its okay , gamy - green foliage is overstep with carpets of wheat - colored flowers in late spring ( inset pic ) , generally growing less than one foot marvellous . It spreads gradually via hugger-mugger rhizomes , with established plants increasing about one foot in diameter each year . Wood ’s sedge make a perfect living mulch , gently weaving around the bases of marvellous perennials , and is better at suppressing dope than similar metal money thanks to its dense mat - forming habit .

For tidy clumps of flowing foliage, plantcommon brome sedge

C. bromoides

Zones:4−8

Size:16 inches tall and 33 inch extensive

condition : fond shade ; moist to wet soil

Native reach : Eastern North America

Fine - textured unwashed brome sedge performs exceptionally well in shade but also does well in full Lord’s Day and even slightly ironical soil . Its adaptability makes it utile for unifying designs that sweep a spectrum of Sunday exposures and grime conditions . Over sentence , this metal money develops into strong clumps , with raise crowns evocative of prairie drop-seed ( Sporobolusheterolepis , Zones 3–8 ) . It looks spectacular plant en masse shot and in unmowed sedge lawn . This coinage produces small , yellow - green spring flowers which add pastime but quickly fade from opinion as the new flush of threadlike leaves takes middle stage .

Upright sedgeis a sun-loving species

C. stricta

Zones:3–8

Size:25 inches tall and 38 inch wide

condition : Full sunshine ; average to wet soil

unsloped sedge , also unremarkably make out as tussock sedge , is a sunshine - loving species seen in very wet location throughout much of the easterly one-half of the United States . This species can even be found in standing body of water where the plant creates its own small tussock island . Despite its predilection for saturated internet site in the wilderness , C. strictais also correctly at dwelling house in garden beds with average soil , rainwater gardens , or around the edge of water feature . This amply deciduous metal money dies to the ground in winter ; natural spring cleaning , which is optional , consist of simply removing the former year ’s straw - like foliage . In other spring , silver spindle of raw increment spear though the frigid terra firma and give room to a breathless bouquet of atomic number 79 and copper - colored flowers . Fading flowers are hidden by cryptical green leaves that remain attractive all summer .

Wide, pleated foliage setsplantain-leaf sedgeapart

C. plantaginea

Size:6 to 12 inches improbable and 10 to 12 inches wide

Conditions : Partial to full tincture ; moist to average out stain

Native range : Eastern United States

One of the most easy accredit North American species is plantain - leaf sedge , thanks to its broad , attractively textured foliage . It is absolutely suited to shaded locations but decidedly intolerant of full sun . When sit in a protected place , such as the north side of a house where it receives shade twelvemonth - round , it will stay effectively evergreen with no spring cleanup required ( inset photograph ) . It ’s an early bloomer , produce dark spikes of flower in the centre of March , and while these flowers are not of necessity the showiest , they are a welcome reminder that saltation is on the way .

Pennsylvania sedgeis a crowd favorite for a reason

C. pensylvanica

Size:15 inch improbable and 54 inches wide-cut

weather condition : Full sun to full shade ; moist to dry out , well - drain soil

plantain-leaf sedge

aboriginal scope : Eastern and central United States , and Canada

Popular Pennsylvania sedge is wide used in garden design in part due to its versatility and adaptability . It thrives in a potpourri of sun exposure and soil conditions , as long as it is not too pixilated . employ it as a live mulch , or as a mow or unmowed lawn alternative . It spreads slowly by underground rhizomes to make patches that increase by about 1 metrical foot in diam every growing season . small-scale interruption in the rug of foliage can sometimes be overwork by weeds , but this trait can be used to a gardener ’s advantage since it is more sociable with companion plants than the more militant species . While the former spring blooms of Pennsylvania sedge are far from showy , a nativar called ‘ Straw Hat ’ bring on an especial floral display on a slightly less spreading plant .

Cherokee sedgeis tall and stately

C. cherokeensis

Zones:6–9

Size:35 inches tall and 60 inches wide

Woods sedge

Conditions : Full Dominicus to full shade ; average to soaked soil

aboriginal cooking stove : Southeastern United States

heavy , endearing Cherokee sedge is typically found in wet timber conditions , but it conform easily to average out soil and even full sun . wheat berry - like fruit adds a panache of summertime interest and notion , but it ’s the lustrous , emerald - green foliage that is the main magnet . It is effectively evergreen , although some leaf tips may burn in winter in a sunny location . Spring cleanup is a gentle wind ; only a quick trim of the foliage tips is call for . A hard spring cutback is not recommended since new development can be slow to emerge . Long - beaked sedge ( C. sprengelii , Zones 3–5 ) , which is close tie in and can be employ in interchangeable ways , is slenderly smaller and likely more cold tolerant .

wood’s sedge straw-colored flowers

Sam Hoadley is the manager of horticultural research at Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin , Delaware .

Photos : courtesy of Mt. Cuba Center

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Upright sedge

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