Sedges are gaining increasing recognition as a native alternative to nonnative ground cover such as English Hedera helix ( Hedera helix ) , wintercreeper ( Euonymus fortunei ) , and periwinkle ( Vinca minorandV. major ) . These unremarkably used nonnative ground cover have escaped their intended confines and become incursive in many instinctive area . Sedges are also an excellent substitute for greensward as we struggle to hold a green home landscape painting without the dependence on fertilizers , weed killer , and excess watering required for lawn . Properly selected aboriginal groundcovers ( right plant , correct place ) require the least amount of care because they institute quickly , are long - lived , suppress weeds , and require little mulch once established .
Although this article will concentrate on sedge , let ’s first identify the all-encompassing categories of “ pot - like ” flora . We will look at the conflict among sedges , rushes , and ornamental grasses . Lastly , we ’ll consider liriope , a often used foreign-born groundcover that could be confused with the above genera .
Even horticulturalists who specialise in grass - alike plant life orient out the difficulties in identifying different species . A distinguishing machine characteristic is the stem body structure . A common rhyme is utile : sedge have sharpness ; rushes are pear-shaped ; grasses have lymph gland all the way to the ground .
CAREX ( SEDGES )
Sedges thrive in many different sunlight and soil conditions . Some can be grown in deep shade or full sunshine , on dry slope or in stand water . Some are more grass - ilk in appearing while others have wider leave ( to 1 ” ) . They can be massed as riotous greenish ground cover , decoct the penury for mulch . Some can be used in position of turf , reducing lawn maintenance . They can be used as specimen plant in ornamental gardens , or in pelting gardens . Foliage amount in bright green , lime immature , or blue William Green .
aboriginal Host plant
Using native plants in landscaping promote biodiversity which supports works and wildlife preservation . As note in theCarexdescriptions that follow , various native sedge act as caterpillar host plants for moths and butterfly stroke .
Flowers
Carexflowers are by and large get over spikes in shades of tan or green that appear in spring before dumb foliage growth kicks in . Some flowers evanesce to become attractive tawny source heads that billow above the leaf . In the follow abbreviated descriptions , I have take down only those flowers that seem to be consider “ showier , ” although even these sedges are generally grown for the foliage , not the flower .
CAREXSPECIES
C. albicansPhoto : Missouri Wildflowers Nursery
C. flaccospermaPhoto : Gail and Hal Clark
C. muskingumensisPhoto : Jay Turner , Wikimedia Commons
C. plantaginea , seersucker sedge or plantain tree - leaf sedge , is a flyspeck recurrent woodland sedge with 1 ’ thump ofstriking hydrated lime - unripe , middling rumple foliage . Its semi - evergreenleaves are broader ( 1”)than many other sedges , and they go forth from maroon - gloss leaf sheaths . This sedge prefers partly shaded , moist , fertile Ellen Price Wood butwill tolerate ironical , shaded situation . Plants slowly colonise from light rhizomes and produce episodic seedling . When grouped , this sedge makes an in effect ground cover song or border for woodland trails . It is a caterpillar host plant life for captain . Deer resistant .
C. plantagineaPhoto : Halpaugh at English Wikikpedia
Summary of Sedge Characteristics and Uses
Heavy shade :
Dry Shade :
Wet Soil or Rain Gardens :
Turf Alternative :
Dry Soil :
NOTE :
Yellow nut sedge , Cyperus esculentus , is a vernacular lawn and gardenweed . The leaves are vivid unripened and have a waxy appearance . It grows quicker than many lawn grasses so it is often find when it outgrow the surrounding grass . The works is perennial , reproducing by seed and underground tubers . The underground tubers or nutlet can stay abeyant in the ground for several years .
germ
Plant Finder , Missouri Botanical Garden , http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org / plantfinder / plantfindersearch.aspx
“ Ornamental Grasses,”https://extension.illinois.edu / grasses / understanding.cfm
“ Ornamental gage : comfortable , beautiful and – invasive?”https://piedmontmastergardeners.org / article / ornamental - weed - easy - beautiful - and - invasive/
“ Ornamental Grasses,”https://web.extension.illinois.edu / dmp / palette/090215.html
“ Comparison of grass structure with rushes and sedges,”http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk / grass_id / intro.htm
Liriope , Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center , https://hgic.clemson.edu / factsheet / liriope/
Landscaping With Native Plants , A Gardener ’s Guide for Missouri , Chapter Four , p.11 . , Missouri Botanical Garden
Carex plantaginea , http://www.newmoonnursery.com / plant / Carex - plantaginea
Caterpillar horde plants , bring Nature Home , Douglas W. Tallamy .
Caterpillar host plant for Mulberry Wing , https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org / species / Poanes - massasoit
Caterpillar host works for Eyed Brown , https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org / species / Satyrodes - eurydice
Caterpillar host flora for skippers , The Living Landscape , Rick Darke and Douglas W. Tallamy .
Green Spring Gardens , www.fairfaxcounty.gov / parks / light-green - springtime / horticulture
Native Ornamental Grasses and Sedges for Gardens and Meadows in the Washington D.C. area , Green Springs Garden , Fairfax County , VA
Using Native Plants to Attract Butterflies , Moths , Bees , and other Pollinators in the Washington D.C. area , Green Springs Garden , Fairfax County , VA
“ Native Sedges for the Home Garden , ” Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia , https://mgnv.org/2025-01-17 / native - sedges - for - the - home plate - garden/
