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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

It is a delight intermingled with C. livida (pale sedge), C. viridula (green sedge), and the several Juncus (rushes) that I have in stock.

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

. . . jut out laterally in three rows, much like the pretty but annoying Euphorbia lathyris (mole plant). The long flower spikes rise above knee height and splay out in a similar fashion, much like the closely-related native nut-sedges and flat-sedges in the genus Cyperus.

Dulichium arundinaceum, with photo credit of "iNat: botanygirl"

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

Last day for the fall sedge sale, of 30% off great Washington natives like: Dulichium arundinaceum

Three-way sedge is a very weird sedge. A lover of wetlands (like myself), unconstrained it forms loose perennial colonies connected by rhizomes (unlike myself). The somewhat wide leaf blades . . .

Dulichium arundinaceum, with photo credit to Craig Martin

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

. . . and I occasionally see it in the understory of recently re-established moist forest. For shadier areas, though, I would go with C. laeviculmis (smooth-stemmed sedge) or C. leptopoda (slenderfoot sedge)

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

It is a delight intermingled with C. livida (pale sedge), Dulichium arundinaceum (three-way sedge), and the several Juncus (rushes) that I have in stock. It’s salt-tolerant and thrives in a broad range of pH . . .

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

Last day for the fall sedge sale, of 30% off great Washington natives like: Carex viridula (green sedge)

This grass-like plant likes wet, sunny conditions and raises its charmingly chunky flower/seed clusters as high as 16”, and unconstrained it will spread by rhizomes to form loose colonies.

Carex viridula, with photo credit to Anders Hastings

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

. . . Packera streptanthifolia (Rocky Mountain butterweed), and the various Sedum (stonecrop).

A sun-baked parking strip might be a bit much for Rocky Mountain sedge, but it’s definitely a pleasant addition in less extreme conditions here in the lowlands.

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

. . . can be nice for sharing space with other species in a rock garden like orange Agoseris aurantiaca, Elymus elymoides (squirrel tail), Luetkea pectinata (partridge foot), Luzula comosa and L. parviflora (Pacific and small-flowered wood-rushes), Micranthes ferruginea (rusty saxifrage) . . .

Carex tahoensis, with photo credit to Matt Lavin

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

Last day for the fall sedge sale, of 30% off great Washington natives like: Carex tahoensis (Tahoe hare sedge)

In higher elevations and rockier soil, it’s common to see C. pachystachya replaced by the likes of Carex tahoensis. Carex tahoensis also forms less dense/large bunches, which . . .

Carex tahoensis, with photo credit to Braden J. Judson

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

. . . abrasive and therefore more attractive forage for wildlife, and the short rhizomes result in the species being somewhat clumping. When happily established, you can expect the leaves to rise to knee or maybe waist height, and the attractive flower stems little a bit taller.

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

Last day for the fall sedge sale, of 30% off great Washington natives like: Carex scopulorum (Rocky Mountain sedge)

Like the more enthusiastic C. obnupta (slough sedge), Rocky Mountain sedge is a lover of moist areas with full sun or part shade. The wider leaves of Carex scopulorum are less . . .

Carex scopulorum, with photo credit to Matt Berger

Carex scopulorum, with photo credit to Braden J. Judson

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

. . . to rocky slopes and roadsides, prairie remnants, open lodgepole forest, exposed ridges, and clearcuts, being often used in revegetation projects. Gotta sunny spot? This sedge wants to live there.

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

And it’s also a great plant for growing outside! Sedges are most associated with wetlands, and Carex pachystachya is certainly happy there, but it’s also amenable to . . .

Carex pachystachya, with photo credit to Timothy McNitt

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

Last day for the fall sedge sale, of 30% off great Washington natives like: Carex pachystachya (starry/Chamisso sedge)

While the slender leaves of Carex pachystachya might not be my cats’ first choice, they absolutely love chomping on the seed/flower heads.

Carex pachystachya, with photo credit to Matt Lavin

Cat munching on Carex pachystachya flowers

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

It can be pretty dominant, though, so in a garden setting you might be happier with C. livida (pale sedge), C. scopulorum (Rocky Mountain sedge), C. viridula (green sedge), or Dulichium arundinaceum (three-way sedge).

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

Its rhizomes spread with gusto, capable of forming large, dense-ish colonies with leaves as high as your belly.

Do you have a wet area where you’d like to prevent erosion? This is the sedge for you.

Carex obnupta, with photo credit to Shane Johnson

Carex obnupta, with photo credit to Braden J. Judson

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

Last day for the fall sedge sale, of 30% off great Washington natives like: Carex obnupta

Slough sedge is a reliable beast-of-burden in wetland restoration projects. It is evergreen, salt-tolerant, and fairly resistant to deer.

Carex obnupta, with photo credit to Sean Haight

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

. . . tiny penguin heads; it's got to be the largest sedge seed in Washington. It’s obviously salt-tolerant, but I’m yet to see how this coastline plant fares inland.

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

Last day for the fall sedge sale, of 30% off great Washington natives like: Carex macrocephalum

Big-head sedge gets its name from having a big head. Specialized to live in coastal sand, they spread by rhizomes and put up Italian plum-sized clusters of tapered seeds that look like . . .

Carex macrocephalum, with photo credit to Tom Erler

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

it has suffered no harm in times when I thoroughly neglected to water it in pots.

It is a delight intermingled with C. viridula (green sedge), Dulichium arundinaceum (three-way sedge), and the several Juncus (rushes) that I have in stock.

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

. . . and the foothills of the mountains. Out east, the species is fairly restricted to calcareous (limestone) wetlands, but in the PNW it doesn't seem to care. I suspect that it can take drier conditions and I’m experimenting with that, and I can currently report that . . .

Carex livida, with photo credit to Reuven Martin Jack Bindernagel

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

. . . Unconstrained it spreads by rhizomes to form loose populations. The scratchy leaves are my cats’ favorite to munch on.

Here in the PNW, this species is rare south of Canada but has been observed as far as northern California, and isolated populations can be still found in coastal bogs . . .

Carex livida, with photo credit to Jack Bindernagel

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

Last day for the fall sedge sale, of 30% off great Washington natives like: Carex livida (pale sedge)

I just can’t shut up about this beauty! This striking sedge (blueish and evergreen like the leaves of western white pine) is a unique glacial remnant, left behind as the ice sheets receded . . .

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

Carex leptopoda is a clumping perennial with slender, gracefully-arching flowering stems and grass-like leaves. The small groupings of greenish flowers/seeds are borne along the stem, but are mostly concentrated toward the end.

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Nobody Nursery @nobodynursery.bsky.social · 5d

. . . cooler and more humid climate than in open areas. For an upland sedge that can handle drier conditions and full sun, I also have C. pachystachya (starry sedge) and C. tahoensis (Tahoe hare sedge) in stock.

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