Why choose native plants? Pacific Northwest native plants know how to live here and how to thrive here. They often need much less water and less fertilizer. They spread slowly and are not invasive. They support a wide diversity of wildlife. And best of all, they look great!
Slough sedge is a cornerstone species in many damp meadows and wetlands along the West Coast. It extends from California to southern Alaska, and inland to the western slope of the Cascades. This plant is a visual standout for its black-bronze seed-heads, which are food for waterfowl. You can frequently see slough sedge in coastal wetlands and estuaries, and in the backwater floodplains of rivers, but it also gets used with good results in urban bioswales. It’s slightly salt tolerant, and generally evergreen. Slough sedge is not only deer resistant, but also copes with less than pristine urban rainwater runoff. It’s a butterfly host plant, feeding the caterpillars of the Umber skipper (Poanes melane), the Dun skipper (Euphyes vestris), and the common ringlet (Coenonympha tullia). It has sharp leaf edges, so it’s best handled with mindful intent. Its strongly rhizomatous growth habit makes it a very good choice for stabilizing water edges against erosion, as well as for holding ground against wetland invasives. Grows up to 36″ tall and spreads laterally by rhizomes as moisture permit. Full sun, part sun/part shade.
