Bicknell'S Sedge

Year-round

Bicknell's sedge is a clump forming native prairie sedge that grows well in Toledo yards with sun to light shade and average to dry, well drained soil.

• Give it a spot in full sun to light shade with well drained soil. It tolerates dry spells once its roots are established but does not like sitting in constant standing water.
• Expect a tidy, fountain like clump of fine, grass like blades reaching around two feet, with flowering stalks that can stretch up to three feet.
• Water new plantings regularly through the first growing season. Established clumps only need extra water during long dry stretches.
• Never shear the whole clump down to bare crowns. Only pull out old, tangled seed stems and snip off a few dead tips at a time, cutting it hard can kill it.
• Ohio's Department of Natural Resources lists this sedge as a threatened native plant in the state, so a nursery grown plant in a Toledo area garden is helping a species that is under pressure in the wild.

Fall

Fall is this sedge's second active growth window, and Toledo gardeners should leave it standing rather than cutting it back.

• This sedge grows again in fall as the soil cools, so do not expect it to go fully dormant right away, even as nearby warm season grasses fade.
• Leave the foliage standing through fall. In the Toledo area, the average first frost falls in early October, and this sedge does not need a fall cutback.
• After the seed heads have dropped or been eaten by birds, fall is a good window to divide an established clump or move it before the ground freezes.
• Skip fall fertilizer. This sedge comes from lean prairie soil, and extra feeding tends to produce floppy growth instead of a tidy clump.

Leaving this sedge standing through fall reads as an intentional low mow, prairie style planting to an HOA, not an unmowed lawn, especially with a crisp bed edge.

Winter

This sedge holds a low, semi-evergreen clump through a Toledo winter and needs almost no care once established.

• Foliage is semi-evergreen to deciduous, so expect the blades to hold some green to tan color through a Toledo winter rather than dying back completely.
• An established clump is hardy through Toledo's winters without mulching, wrapping, or any other winter protection.
• If you planted new starts in fall, a light layer of shredded leaf mulch around, not on top of, the crown helps protect the roots through hard freezes until spring growth starts.
• Avoid walking on the clump when snow or ice is on it. Wet, heavy snow can flatten the blades and open the crown to rot.

Because this sedge keeps an upright, tidy winter silhouette instead of collapsing into a brown mat, it reads as intentional winter interest to an HOA rather than an unmaintained bed.

Spring

Spring is this sedge's main growth spurt in Toledo, with fresh green blades pushing up before most warm season grasses wake up.

• This sedge is a cool season grower, so it greens up early, often before the last frost. In the Toledo area that typically falls in late April to early May, and the plant can handle a late cold snap.
• Early spring, before new blades push through, is the right time to comb out last year's dead and tangled seed stems. Pull the loose ones and trim a few tips, do not cut the clump down to the ground.
• This is also a good window to divide an overcrowded clump or plant new starts, since the plant puts energy into root growth while the soil is still cool.
• Keep the soil evenly moist through spring rains for the first year or two. Toledo's clay heavy soils can hold water, so check that the planting spot drains and does not stay soggy.

Combing out the old winter growth in early spring reads as deliberate upkeep to an HOA, not a neglected bed.

Summer

Summer is when this sedge shows off its copper colored seed heads, and it needs little care once established in a Toledo garden.

• Flowering happens in June and July, followed by the copper colored oval seed heads that give this sedge its common name.
• Once established, it handles Toledo's hot, humid summer stretches better than many other sedges. Water only during extended dry spells, roughly once a week if there has been no rain.
• It grows well in full sun here, but a little afternoon shade can help it look its best during the most humid weeks of July and August.
• Leave the seed heads in place through summer. Upland birds and sparrows eat the seeds, and no cutting back is needed at this stage.