Carex buxbaumii aka Buxbaum's Sedge

Carex buxbaumii, or Buxbaum’s sedge, belongs to the sedge family, Cyperaceae. This perennial grows across much of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Its native range also reaches Zulia in northwestern Venezuela. Kew records it as a perennial or rhizomatous geophyte. It is native to Britain and Ireland as well. Its recorded habitats include bogs with wet, spongy ground. These damp sites help explain its growing needs in gardens.

The plant forms a mound and reaches about 2 feet [0.6 metres] tall. Its perennial habit suits planting schemes that return each year. Plants For A Future places flowering in June and July. Chicago Botanic Garden gives a wider season, from May through August. Each plant bears both male and female flowers, though each flower has only one sex. Wind carries the pollen. The seeds ripen in July and August, according to Plants For A Future.

Choose a site where the soil stays moist or wet. Plants For A Future describes this sedge as easy to grow. It accepts sandy soil, loam, and clay. It also tolerates mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline soil. Chicago Botanic Garden lists full sun as its preferred exposure. Plants For A Future also allows light shade and shaded sites. Chicago lists USDA hardiness zones 5–8. Bog gardens and damp woodland gardens offer suitable settings. Chicago also suggests using it in beds or borders.

Sow seed in spring, in moist soil with light shade. A cold frame offers another option when seed supplies are small. Seeds can take two to six weeks to germinate at 59°F [15°C]. Plants raised this way can go outside in summer. Spring division provides another means of propagation. Large divisions can go straight into their final sites. Grow small divisions in pots until they have strong roots. Then plant them out in summer or the next spring.

Plants For A Future records cooked roots and seeds as edible. It gives the plant a low food-use rating, however. The small seeds make preparation awkward, and details of their use are sparse. The leaves have also served as bedding material. The same source lists no known medicinal uses or hazards. That hazard entry does not establish safety for pets. It does not flag the species as weedy.