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Writer's pictureKimberly Simmen

Native Plant of the Week: Oak Sedge

Family: Cyperaceae


Name: Carex pensylvanica - Oak Sedge


'Bloom Time': May


'Flower': White/Brown


Soil Condition: Dry, Average


Light: Partial Shade, Shade


Height: 8-12" tall by 24" wide


Native Range: Eastern North America including Long Island


Zone: 3 to 8

Carex pensylvanica is a fine textured, cool season sedge for tough places like under Oak and Pine trees. Plants spread slowly by stolons and rhizomes to make a large colony. This makes it a great lawn substitute under Oaks and Pines or mixed between other plants in a shady garden to keep the weeds down. Tolerates very light foot traffic.


Maintenance: True low maintenance plant, may be mowed to a height of 3", one to three times a year. If doing this, the late winter mowing is the most important.


Benefits: Birds use prior seasons spent foliage as nesting material, deer resistant, juglone tolerant (Black Walnut)


Companion Plants: Quercus species - Oak trees, Pinus strobus - Eastern White Pine, Vaccinium angustifolium - Lowbush Blueberry, Juniperus virginiana - Eastern Red Cedar, Polystichum acrostichoides - Christmas Fern, Acer saccharum - Sugar Maple, Eurybia divaricata - White Wood Aster, Phlox divaricata - Woodland Phlox, Tiarella cordifolia - Foamflower


pics: KMS Native Plants LLC

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References:

2. http://www.newmoonnursery.com/plant/Carex-pensylvanica


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