I’ve long wanted to do a demonstration planting of native sedges—gorgeous, totally undervalued plants—as a low-maintenance alternative to lawns. So when an opportunity for a public space arose, I jumped at the chance.
Say hello to a boulevard in the west end of Toronto that is now home to the project Sedges Instead!
I solarized this bed for about a month and a half to suppress the abundant weed crop prior to planting.
The first small bed has now been planted with awl-fruited sedges (Carex stipata). Thank you to Lara Mrosovsky (of Miinikaan Innovation & Design) and Ryan Godfrey (of World Wildlife Fund—Canada) for rescuing these plants and passing them along.
Seeing the awl-fruited sedges sway in the wind, with their graceful blades, is a delight.
Awl-fruited sedge in the small, unsolarized bed to which I added new soil.
A bigger bed is being solarized in preparation for a mid-summer planting of many more great sedges and native pollinator plants!
The beds will be a “seed orchard” and the seeds will be collected for distribution to community projects and growers in order to propagate more sedges and make them available for plantings. Not only are sedges rare in gardens, but they’re also rare in the nursery trade. This project is a small part of trying to encourage the growing of sedges! Especially if you’re looking for an incredibly low-maintenance and ecologically valuable alternative to lawns.
(Many thanks to WWF-Canada and the Pollinator Partnership for supporting this volunteer project.)