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Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Also called oak sedge, common oak sedge and pennsylvania sedge grass
Pennsylvania Sedge blooms from May through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Pennsylvania Sedge
Plant it in part shade. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 8 in tall and 8 in wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (a house reading).
No toxicity note is on file for Pennsylvania Sedge. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Pennsylvania Sedge
Plant Pennsylvania Sedge in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms in May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Pennsylvania Sedge get?
8 intall5 ft 7 inan adult8 inwideSee Pennsylvania Sedge in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Pennsylvania Sedge
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Pennsylvania Sedge about 8 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Pennsylvania Sedge to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Pennsylvania Sedge's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 10 published sources on September 23, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- gardendesign.comGarden Design magazine (Sedge: A Growing Guide for Carex)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Plant Addictsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and pests
- Prairie Moon Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil and pests
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterUniversity of Texas at Austinheight, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and pests
- University of Arkansas ExtensionPlant of the Weekheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color and soil
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Finderheight, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- Mt. Cuba CenterCarex for the Mid-Atlantic Region, 2018-2022height, spread, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Mt. Cuba CenterCarex for the Mid-Atlantic Region, 2018-2022height
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.