Long Beaked Sedge

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.

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.