blue wood sedge Interesting Notes

A beautiful native groundcover with striking glaucous blue foliage, Carex flaccosperma is easy to grow and evergreen in warmer zones, though it benefits from a late winter cut back. Early spring flowers are slender and form interesting seed heads. As blue wood sedge grows, it forms tidy clumps and spreads by short underground rhizomes and by seed. Seedlings are non-aggressive and few in number but great for increasing presence in a shade garden. A very adaptable and hard-working carex, its textured foliage adds depth to the garden and is found uninteresting by most garden pests including deer and rabbits.

Carex flaccosperma can be found in rich, calcareous woods and bottomlands and is adaptable to a wide range of soils. Native to the US from New Jersey all the way south to Florida, blue wood sedge prefers bright moist woodlands and can tolerate some sun if given proper moisture. Spreads slowly by rhizomes and is quite drought tolerant once established.

Our sedge trials run throughout the property but every once in awhile, we’ll find Carex flaccosperma sitting unexpected in a bare spot, providing groundcover to protect from opportunistic annual weeds. Lovely, adaptable, and dependable, many may not flock to see it but when used in mass especially near wet areas such as a pond or stream, it provides a great accent that can withstand herbivory and provide habitat.

Carex flaccosperma Growing and Maintenance Tips

Adaptable to a wide range of soils. Spreads slowly by rhizomes and is quite drought tolerant once established. Propagate by seed or division of clumps every few years. Cut foliage to the ground in early spring before new growth occurs. Use in containers, or as a slowly spreading groundcover in the shade and rock garden.