Gray's Sedge / Carex grayi
Gray's Sedge, or Common Bur Sedge, is a wonderful garden addition, growing to two or three feet with incredible mace-like seed heads that last for many months from spring through fall. They prefer moist or medium soil and can work well in shade to full sun. Like other sedges, this one is also a host plant for butterflies!
Seed Planting/Germination Key
Storage: Store in a cool, dry, dark place prior to planting.
Rule of thumb for depth of planting: The maximum depth should generally be half the width of the seed, but many wildflower seeds will germinate well if sown on the surface.
Easy: Generally germinates within 5 to 30 days with no need for cold pretreatment. Keep potting mix or soil consistently moist during the germination period.
Cold(30): Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 30 days or outside in late winter.
Cold(60): Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 60 days or outside in mid-winter.
Cold(90); Outdoors: Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 90 days or outside in late fall or early winter. The best route is to plant these outdoors in either a pot or directly on the soil.
Approximate Seeds Per Packet: 20
Germination: Cold(60)
Lifecycle: Perennial
Sunlight: Full, Part, Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist, Medium
Height: 3
Bloom Period: May-August
Bloom Color: Tan
USDA Zones: 4-9
Attracts:
Larval Host For: Eyed Brown Butterfly, Appalachian Brown Butterfly