Wet sandy, gravelly, or marly shores, limestone pavements, interdunal flats, and edges of cedar thickets, chiefly on or very near the Great Lakes although at some inland lakes close to the Great Lakes; in rock crevices along Lake Superior. Especially abundant in calcareous areas near the straits. 

Dry or immature material is sometimes difficult to distinguish from Carex aurea and a very few collections appear intermediate (though this may be a herbarium artifact). In C. garberi the perigynia are more granular-papillose, densely crowded, and strongly overlapping than in C. aurea, and the foliage is definitely blue-green.