Blue Wood Sedge
Carex flaccosperma
Among the bluest foliage of any native sedge. Low, arching clumps spread into a ground layer and hold color through mild winters in moist shade.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Among the most intensely blue native sedge foliage you'll find. it reads as a design accent in shade gardens, not just ground cover.
Blue Wood Sedge brings an intense blue-green foliage color to shaded gardens, among the most strongly colored blue foliage of any native sedge. The broad-ish, arching blades form low, graceful clumps that spread gradually to create a continuous ground layer in moist, shaded conditions. Semi-evergreen in the Mid-Atlantic, it holds color through mild winters and re-emerges fresh in early spring. This is a southeastern native that prefers the kind of rich, moist woodland conditions found along stream margins and in mature mixed forest understory. In those conditions it's one of the most attractive native sedges available: the blue foliage, clean arching form, and easy-going nature make it a reliable performer in the shade garden. Use it beneath deciduous shrubs, in shaded rain garden margins, or as a ground cover alternative to non-native plants under mature trees. The blue tone provides excellent contrast to the yellows and oranges of fall foliage above.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown blue wood sedge propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant blue wood sedge instead of English ivy (Hedera helix), vinca (Vinca minor). Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Part shade
- Water
- Dry
- Mature size
- 8"–1.5' · 10–18 in wide
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Family
- Cyperaceae
- Native range
- Southeastern United States, from Maryland south to Florida and west to Oklahoma and Texas
Care notes for blue wood sedge.
Plant in part to full shade in moist, rich, well-drained soil. More moisture-dependent than some other blue sedges. consistent moisture produces the best color and growth. Cut back in early spring. Spreads slowly by rhizomes. No fertilizer needed in organically rich soil.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside blue wood sedge.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.

Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.

Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.

Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.