Blue Sedge
Carex laxiculmis
Cool blue-gray foliage, silver in bright shade, deeper in dark corners. Spreads into a weed-suppressing mat, even in dry shade under mature trees.
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
That cool blue-gray foliage in shade is a design tool. it creates depth and contrast that straight green sedges can't provide.
Blue Sedge has a cool, blue-gray foliage color that reads differently throughout the day: more silver in bright shade, deeper blue-green in darker corners. The narrow, arching leaves stay semi-evergreen through mild winters, and the plant spreads steadily by rhizomes to form a weed-suppressing mat that looks intentional rather than weedy. It's a versatile shade ground cover: pretty enough for a formal woodland garden, tough enough for dry, root-competitive conditions under mature trees. The blue tone contrasts beautifully with the warmer greens of most shade perennials, and it provides a consistent ground-layer texture that unifies mixed plantings without drawing attention away from flowers and foliage specimens. Use it as an alternative to non-native ground covers under trees, between stepping stones in a shaded path, or massed along a shaded border edge. The 'Bunny Blue' cultivar (also offered here) is a more intensely blue selection; the straight species is subtler but equally attractive.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown blue 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 sedge instead of English ivy (Hedera helix), vinca (Vinca minor). Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Part sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 6"–1' · 12–18 in wide
- USDA zones
- 4–9
- Family
- Cyperaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America, from Maine south to Georgia and west to the Midwest; woodland habitats
Care notes for blue sedge.
Plant in part to full shade in average to moist, well-drained soil. Tolerates dry shade once established. Trim back in early spring. Spreads by rhizomes. divide in spring to manage spread. Excellent in containers with consistent moisture. No fertilizer needed.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside blue 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’.