Description of Carex flacca (Glaucous Sedge)

Carex flacca is glaucous sedge, a UK native with blue-grey foliage. It’s handy for the upper edge of bog gardens where soil stays damp but not flooded, and it gives a cooler leaf colour than most sedges.

Appearance

It forms low clumps of narrow blue-grey leaves. In spring and early summer it produces slender stems with small brown flower spikes. Height is usually 20 to 40cm.

Care Guide

It tolerates a range of soils but looks best with steady moisture and open light.

• Sun: Full sun to part shade.
• Soil: Moist soil, free draining but not dry.
• Water: Keep damp, especially in summer.
• Tidy: Comb out dead leaves in spring.
• Spread: It can creep slowly. Lift and replant edges if it wanders.

If the clump goes green and soft, it usually wants more light.

Suitability for Bog Garden

This suits bog gardens as a front-edge sedge for texture and colour. It mixes well with primulas, violets, and low meadow plants.

Use it to create a soft transition from wet bed to drier ground.

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