Carex vulpinoidea - Fox Sedge

Sizes available: HPP quart, coming in 2026

Basics: zones 3-8, 1-3' x 1-3', full sun to dappled, part, or high light shade, flowers are green turning to brown and mildly resemble little foxtails, blooms in late spring, moist to very wet, clay tolerant.

Common names: Fox Sedge, Brown Fox Sedge, American Fox Sedge

Family: Cyperaceae

Origin/Distribution: This sedge occurs in five Canadian Provinces and all lower 48 states. It has been introduced in New Zealand and parts of Europe. Native to Maine.

Habitat: Found in wet, open places: meadow, prairie, field, swamp, marsh

More: More information coming soon.

Even more: If I could talk more gardeners into filling their spaces with Carex species, I would consider my life well lived. They are an excellent ground cover layer and there are species for every conceivable light and moisture condition. Some of them also make good lawn alternatives. They can be planted under trees, shrubs, and taller herbaceous layers, acting as living mulch, retaining moisture and suppressing weeds and looking good doing it. They offer top notch habitat for wildlife, providing shelter and food for birds, small mammals, and invertebrates, and acting as larval hosts for numerous species. Their fibrous root systems are good at holding banks, slopes, and edges. For the most part they are deer and rabbit resistant. And last but not least, they provide structural backbone - variations in texture, color, and rhythm - to your ornamental beds. 

Source: Prairie Moon 3" pots, grown on at Honey Petal Plants

Image credits: Ist image courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery; 2nd image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons