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Appalachian Sedge

Carex appalachica

Fine hair-thin leaves fall into a soft weeping tuft, the top-selling native sedge for dry shade. Planted a foot apart it knits into a no-mow lawn substitute under trees, where turf will not grow. Tolerates root competition and drought once established.

Family

Cyperaceae

Type

grass

Lifespan

perennial

Height

0.5–1.5 ft

Spacing

1–1.5 ft apart

Light

part shade

Soil moisture

dry, moist

Soil pH

neutral

Bloom

May, June

Bloom colors

white, green

Wildlife value

songbirds, larval host

Landscape uses

groundcover, naturalizing, border

Native states

AL, CT, GA, KY, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV