Step aside, ‘Bunny Blue Hobb,’ you’re not the only blue sedge in town. Both Carex glaucodea – which is what this one is – and Carex laxiculmis (the cultivar of which is Bunny Blue) are native to this area. And, at quick glance, you can hardly tell the difference. Most sedges are difficult to tell apart when they’re not in bloom.
The difference is that this one doesn’t spread. You’ll find this one popping up here and there as individual plants, but usually with a good distance apart. Carex laxiculmis, on the other hand, does spread and fill in thanks to its rhizomes.
Sedges are the “American hosta”
Obviously sedges and hostas are nothing alike. Aside being in completely separate plant groups (monocot vs dicot), hostas are not native to this continent. Since they are vegetables grown in an ornamental garden, it’s no surprise that deer and rabbits go straight for this one. Once the herbivores are done shearing them off at a perfect height, for all anyone knows, you may as well have had grass growing there.
Blue sedge is not favored by herbivores. Neither the deer nor the rabbits want anything to do with it. These prefer the same damp, shady conditions that hostas love. You can use this instead of hostas, and you’ll never have to worry about herbivores eating your shade garden. At least, not this one.
So why would I claim that sedges are like hostas? Because there is so much variability in their size, shape, appearance, utility, form. You can collect them the way one does hostas. Most can be utilized in a similar manner to hostas. They essentially fill the same niche that hostas do currently. Even when it comes to flowers, although hostas arent grown for their flowers, they are a feature. Some of the sedges are quite popular because of their flowers.
Where sedges outperform hostas is that you can walk on them/through them, most can handle being mowed (including this one), animals generally eat them, and they are a host plant for some of our native caterpillars.
Plant blue sedge wherever you don’t want a perpetually spreading sedge
That’s the main difference between these two blue sedges. If you want a blue sedge that is semi-evergreen and remains exactly where you planted it, this is the sedge to use. If you want something to fill in like a groundcover, go with the spreading sedge.
Worth noting, the straight species of Carex laxiculmis isn’t always this blue. That’s why there’s a blue cultivar of it. You don’t have to search for a special cultivar for the blue sedge. This is the only way they grow.
Blue sedge will naturalize
When I say it doesn’t spread, I mean it doesn’t spread via rhizomes. It will get around like violets get around. That being said, if you’re buying native plants, I don’t think you’re the type to get upset about violets and sedges popping up in your lawn. If anything, you probably welcome it. While these do prefer to grow in damp, shady locations, I have them popping up in the lawn as well. As long as it can get enough moisture, it’ll grow there.
If you don’t want them growing in your lawn, or someone who shares your property wants a pristine lawn, it’s easy to pop them out of the grass and move them into beds. You can do this at any time; just make sure you water them in when you do it. They’re pretty resilient plants.
“Glow-in-the-mist” plants
If you’re curious if any have volunteered in your lawn, I find the best time to look for them is on a cloudy rainy or misty day. There’s something about these conditions, with the added water coating the leaves, where the light bouncing off them makes them glow. You’ll notice this effect with lichens, which really stand out on bark on rainy days.
The chartreuse new growth on plants in spring also do this, but those tend to darken in the summer months. If you’re designing a shade garden, aim for as many blue-green leaves and lime-green leaves as possible. These plants will brighten even the shadiest of gardens. If you’re having visitors and want your shade garden to sparkle, all you need to do is hit them with a mister before visitors arrive. They’ll think they’ve been transported to the Smoky Mountains.
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