Carex testacea
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ORANGE NEW ZEALAND SEDGE
Family: Cyperaceae
Pronounced: KAH-reks
GROWING GUIDE
Geographic Origin:
New Zealand.
Plant Group:
Sedges.
Hardiness:
Sunset zones: 4-9, 14-24.
USDA zones: 8-9.
Heat zones: 9-8.
Mature size:
Height: 2 feet (60 cm).
Width: 5 feet (1.5 m)
Leaf attributes:
Light green to orange-brown, evergreen foliage where leaves receive full sunlight.
Growth habit:
Clump forming.
Light:
Full sun to partial shade.
Soil:
Most, well-drained soil.
Propagation Methods:
Sow at 50-55°F in early spring. | Divide mid-spring to early summer.
Pruning Methods:
Run a rake through the sedge in late winter, to pull out old dead grass.
Rainy Side Notes
Green to coppery brown foliage with hints of orange leaves in fall and winter make this sedge a superb selection for the year-round garden. Carex testacea self-sows, but is polite about it. In fact, I welcome the babies to either transplant to another place in the garden, or give to other gardeners. It's fun to give brown sedges to unsuspecting, I mean, great friends, so I can convince them the sedge is truly alive.
Many gardeners do not appreciate the affects of brown colored sedges, because to them the plants look dead. However, I find them to be striking in many settings, especially paired with other colors such as oranges and rusts.
Debra Teachout-Teashon
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