Orange New Zealand sedge
Carex testacea ·
A fountain of hair-fine leaves, olive-green at the base and turning bright orange towards the tips, especially in full sun and in winter.
- Size
- 18 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around orange New Zealand sedge
The planner designed this bed around orange New Zealand sedge when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why orange New Zealand sedge stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Orange New Zealand sedge × 3, bronze leaves
- 2 Sedum 'Lidakense' × 15, pink
- 3 Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' × 8, lavender
- 4 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 3, purple
- 5 Hyssop 'Blue Boa' × 5, purple
- 6 Blue oat grass × 1, tan
- 7 Daffodil 'Tete-a-Tete' × 10, yellow
- 8 Giant snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does blue oat grass.
Why here
- In the middle. At 18 in it is the step between Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' (6 in) in front and blue oat grass (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
- Fine leaf against bold. Tatarian aster 'Jindai' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the five weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 48% of the planted ground. Sedum 'Lidakense' is planted in four places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. The front edge is finished with Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' and sedum 'Lidakense'.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where orange New Zealand sedge goes in a border
At 18 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
The orange deepens in sun and cold. Pair it with blue or silver foliage for contrast. Comb out the old leaves by hand in spring; do not cut it back hard.
- Orange foliage all year
- Containers
- Trailing over the edge of a wall or path
What to plant with orange New Zealand sedge
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Blue fescue: low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it.
- Sedum 'Angelina': low enough (5 in) to stand in front of it.
- Black mondo grass: low enough (8 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about orange New Zealand sedge
Does orange New Zealand sedge need sun or shade?
Orange New Zealand sedge grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does orange New Zealand sedge grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should orange New Zealand sedge be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many orange New Zealand sedge plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
What does orange New Zealand sedge look like in winter?
Orange New Zealand sedge keeps its bronze leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Carex
- Appalachian sedge Carex appalachica
- Blue sedge Carex flacca
- Blue sedge 'Blue Zinger' Carex flacca 'Blue Zinger'
- Bowles' golden sedge Carex elata 'Aurea'
- Bristleleaf sedge Carex eburnea
- Gray's sedge Carex grayi
- Japanese sedge 'Ice Dance' Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'
- Leatherleaf sedge Carex buchananii
- Palm sedge Carex muskingumensis
- Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
- Sedge 'Bunny Blue' Carex laxiculmis 'Hobb' (Bunny Blue)
- Sedge 'Everest' Carex oshimensis 'Everest'
- Sedge 'Evergold' Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'
- Sedge 'Everillo' Carex oshimensis 'Everillo'
- Sedge 'Frosted Curls' Carex comans 'Frosted Curls'
- Seersucker sedge Carex plantaginea
- Tussock sedge Carex stricta
- Variegated broadleaf sedge Carex siderosticha 'Variegata'
- Variegated Japanese sedge Carex morrowii 'Variegata'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Grass
- Size
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; bronze
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.