sedge
Carex plantaginea
USDA zones3 to 7
SunHandles partial sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size9 to 12 inches tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Habit
- Grass/grass-like
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Green pistillate spikes and purple-brown staminate spikes
- Foliage color
- Green, purple/lavender
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Sedge (Carex plantaginea) is a grass for shade gardens, ground cover, borders, and naturalized areas. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes part sun to full shade and dry to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Its shiny green leaves are broad and puckered, and they stay green through winter. It forms a neat clump and slowly colonizes. It is not a favorite of deer, though hungry deer will eat almost anything.
Pairs well with Fire Island hosta, Yellow trout-lily, and Bush honeysuckle.
Native range
Central and eastern North America.