Carex grayi
Gray's Sedge
Get Current Availability
Download our availability and order form for pricing, what's in stock, and future availability. Wholesale only.
Excel Download PDF Download1 (800) 203-8590 or Contact Us
Native to North America, Carex grayi can be found growing in low-lying areas near rivers, swamps, and bottomland forests. Enjoy this unusual native sedge planted at the edges of ponds and fountains, in moist areas, or in decorative containers with other moisture-loving plants. Gray’s Sedge is a clump forming plant. It reaches three feet and produces unique, pale green seed heads that resemble three-dimensional, one-inch stars. It prefers moist soil, and light shade or part sun. It can tolerate drier conditions, making it suitable for rain gardens, bioretention, or bioswales.
Carex grayi was named in honor of one of America’s leading botanists of the 19th Century, Asa Gray (1810-1888), whose extraordinary botanical collection was the foundation of the Gray Herbarium at Harvard University. Gray’s Sedge is listed as a threatened plant in Massachusetts.
Zone
3-9
Growth Cycle
Cool
Features
- Native to North America
- Thrives in wet areas
- Shade Tolerant
- Bioretention/Rain Gardens
- Bioswales/Vegetated swales
GROWER INFO & TIPS
- Growth rate: slow-medium
- Grow in 1, 2 or 3 gallon
- Grow in well-drained soil
- Water needs: keep evenly moist; likes moisture but avoid keeping too wet
- Fertilizing: use a slow release, low-rate fertilizer
- Possible pests: no major pests
- Overwintering: cold frame with clear poly, keep dry
*Note: please adapt these suggestions as needed to accommodate your local conditions.
LANDSCAPING INFO
- Unusual, light green, spiky-looking seed heads
- Seed heads can be used in fresh or dried flower arrangements
- Adds texture and beautiful green color to the landscape
- Produces early green blooms that turn coffee colored and persist into fall
- Good addition to the edges of ponds and water features
- Good for the lower zones of biotention sites and bioswales
- Adds dimension to decorative containers; combine it with other moisture-loving plants and keep soil moist
