Carex amphibola, or Creek Sedge, is a highly adaptable sedge with an ornamental, fountain-shaped form. Flowering stems rise above the bright green foliage in late spring. Creek Sedge is a good ground cover choice for shaded sites with moist soil …
Carex amphibola, or Creek Sedge, is a highly adaptable sedge with a low-growing, fountain-shaped form, and flowering stems that rise slightly above the glossy green foliage in late spring. The tidy clumps can be planted as ground cover or an edging in shaded sites with moist soil. When planted in areas with more sun, the soil needs to be consistently moist, as this sedge will tolerate some sun, but does not like dry soil. Found growing in deciduous forests in low moist areas, Creek Sedge is semi-evergreen in milder climates. This deer resistant sedge is a host plant for some skipper butterflies, and the seeds are eaten by turtles.
Creek Sedge is known to flop open after its bloom period in mid-May. Well-sited plants will usually produce a new flush of foliage and recover relatively quickly. It does reseed easily, but not aggressively. New seedlings are often adjacent to the parent plant – a beneficial trait where a ground cover is desired.
Planting and Cultivation Notes
Plants should not be allowed to dry out. If planted in a sunny area, make sure the soil stays moist.
Native plants can be grown outside of their native range in the appropriate growing conditions. This map shows the native range, as well as the introduced range, of this species.
Plant Shipping Rates: for plant orders up to $50 the shipping amount is $9.95. For plant orders from $50.01 and over, the shipping rate is 20% of the total plant cost.
Fall plant-shipping begins on September 9, 2024. The last day to order your plants for fall shipment is September 29.
During checkout, you will be asked to choose a Shipping Week for your plant delivery, from the dates that are available. The week that you choose will be included in your order confirmation email. When your plants ship you will receive an email that includes your tracking information.
I planted 3" pots of Carex amphibola in fall of 2019 and they have grown large and floppy rather than mounding right now. Wondering if I can give them a spring cutback and if that will allow them to grow more tight and clumping in form?
Yes, you can cut them back. You can cut most of the plant back, leaving a small tuft at the base. After this sedge "flowers" (late spring-early summer) it tends to open up quite a bit. If your Carex amphibola is 'flowering' right now you should wait until the stalks have mostly finished flowering before cutting it back. New growth will return and the cut-back plants typically regrow into a mound that looks good for the rest of the growing season.
Sign-in or create an account to submit a question.
