Carex grayi - Club sedge

The Carex grayi, more commonly known as Gray's Sedge or Gray's Carex, is a medium-sized grass, but original and truly very very green. It forms a round and dense clump, from which in summer emerge  curious inflorescences shaped like a mass of tender green weapons. Its foliage, a very bright light green, is linear, flexible, and quite wide, more or less evergreen depending on the climate. It is also an easy-to-grow perennial plant in wet, moist, or occasionally dry soil, low in limestone, in partial shade or even in shade. It is a plant full of unusual charm that will bring dynamism to the surroundings of water points or shaded flower beds.

Carex grayi is a sedge belonging to the large family Cyperaceae, native to North America. This grass with short rhizomes forms a bushy clump, tall and wide about 45 cm (17.7 in). Its leaves remain during mild winters, sheathing at the base, and are long, quite wide, and linear, with tapered edges, pointed at their tips, and slightly drooping. Their colour is a very bright acidic green. In late summer, in August-September, green floral stems appear, topped with small yellow flowers that turn into a group of globular fruits with triangular points, very pale green changing to brown at maturity, reminiscent of small artificial weapons. They barely emerge from the foliage. As with all Carex species, this plant is monoecious, producing separate male and female flowers, but borne on the same individual plant.

Grey's sedge is a plant that is easy to cultivate and has a charming personality, but it is not commonly used in gardens. However, it can be paired with other plants like Juncus effusus 'Spiralis', which has twisted foliage, or Chasmanthium latifolium, with its unique flattened and coppery spikes in autumn, to create contrast in a pond and play with different shapes. This perennial is highly resilient and can be planted in challenging areas such as urban gardens to serve as ground cover and help stabilize soil on slopes. It is also suitable for container gardening on balconies or terraces. In moist soil, Grey's sedge can be planted in a flower bed with robust perennials like ferns, hostas, and astilbes. This Carex species can tolerate growing in water with its roots submerged by 10 cm (3.9 in), and it can handle sunny exposure well when grown this way.