Long Beaked Sedge is an important sedge of upland and moist woodlands in the Upper Midwest and New England. In spring, long stems arise from the large bright green mounds and bear numerous pendulant seed heads. …
Carex sprengellii, or Long Beaked Sedge, is an important sedge of upland and moist woodlands in the Upper Midwest and New England. In spring, long stems arise from large bright green mounds and bear numerous pendulant seed heads. Non-rhizomatous, it spreads by seed. Naturally occurring in woodlands, it also thrives in rich soil in full sun.
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: Plant orders of $50.00 and under, add $9.95 shipping charge. Plant orders over $50.00, add 18% of the total plant cost.
We ship plants in the spring, and in the fall, during our plant-shipping periods. Fall plant-shipping begins on September 11, 2023, and the last day to order plants for fall shipment is October 1, 2023.
During checkout, you will 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 have shipped you will receive another email that includes tracking information.
Does long beaked sedge spread a lot? I see in the description it spreads by seed and has numerous seed heads, so I am little concerned it might be aggressive.
Carex sprengelii does spread by seed. This sedge greens-up early and grows quickly in the spring. The relatlively large seedheads form in the spring and become "heavy". The seeds are planted when the stalks bend over and the seed heads touch the ground. It spreads readily on open/available soil and new seedlings are found around and near the plant, but are not usually found a great distance away from the plant. When the seed heads mature, you can cut the plants all the way back (or just cut off the seedheads) to prevent it from spreading. The leaves grow back quickly and plants will look good for the remainder of summer.
Also of note, C.sprengelii has a very large fibrous root ball. It is a substantial plant even though it is not very tall. Good companion plants will be those that are able to compete well. Good companions will be either a) Good spreaders, or b) have similarly strong root systems. Deeply taprooted plants are good choices, too.
C. sprengelii is a good plant for erosion control, and for planting in areas were you need a filler plant to absorb any excess water. A grouping of C.sprengelii can also be succesfully employed to prevent other plants from over-spreading their bounds.
Will Long beaked sedge die back during the summer or does it remain green through the hotter/drier months?
Thanks for the question. Long Beaked Sedge will stay green and attractive through the hot drier months. When planted in relatively fertile clay soil, it stays green and continues to look good throughout the summer, even when the soil dries out. The exception might be in dry sandy, fast draining soils, during a drought spell, it could loose color and become more yellow and dried out looking.
Sign-in or create an account to submit a question.