Good Types of Sedge for a Lawn

Adaptable Sedges

• Sedges are grass-like plants in the Cyparaceae family. Some of the many true sedge species in the Carex genus are low-growing and tolerate full sun well enough to look like a conventional lawn. Others may allow you to create a lawn look in wetter or shadier areas, notes John Greenlee, writing for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Greenlee recommends Carex pansa, C. pensylvanica, C. perdentata, C. senta and C. texensis as five native sedges to choose from to provide a sedge lawn almost anywhere in the United States. These species require no fertilizing, little or no mowing and usually remain evergreen.

Arid Areas

• If you are looking for a drought-tolerant sedge lawn, in addition to C. perdentata and C. texensis, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Agent Jeff Schalau recommends C. geyeri, C. praegracilis and C. tumulicola. All will create a thick lawn once established, but in very hot areas may suffer in too much sun. None grows above 6 inches; mow them occasionally for a shorter, grass-like look.

Shadier or Wetter Areas

• If you don't live in a hot, dry region and want a sedge lawn to grow in an area where most conventional lawn grasses will not, you're likely concerned about too much shade or moisture. The woodland sedge, C. pedunculata, is an evergreen plant that makes a perfect lawn in shade, according to Trish Murphy of the North American Native Plant Society. Greenlee recommends C. senta as best for deep shade and C. perdentata as most adaptable to moist conditions.

Traffic-Tolerant

• If you must walk on your sedge lawn, some species are more tolerant of traffic than others. In addition to the very tolerant C. pansa, which provides a bright, green lawn, the City of Santa Barbara recommends the blue-green C. glauca as amenable to traffic. Schalau also reports some traffic tolerance from C. praegracilis.

Cautions

• Not all sedges are suitable for lawns. Schalau warns that nutsedges, Cyperus spp. in particular, are notorious weeds of grass lawns. The Carex genus sedges' robust nature can cause problems, too. The City of Santa Barbara, for example, recommends using a root barrier between your sedge lawn and other planting areas to curb sedges' invasive tendencies.