About
Carex testacea is a perennial sedge native to New Zealand that maintains its foliage year-round. This tufted plant typically grows to a height of 40-60 cm. Its slender, arching leaves display an olive-green hue during the summer months, which transitions to a rich coppery-orange as temperatures drop in winter. While its brown flowers are not particularly noteworthy, the stems take on a graceful droop with age, adding a subtle texture to the landscape.
About the genus
Carex encompasses both deciduous and evergreen species, characterized by their rhizomatous or tufted growth habits. These perennials feature triangular stems topped with linear or strap-like foliage, and they produce spikes that can be either short or elongated, adorned with small green or brown flowers.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, East-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Grass Like
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Coastal, Gravel garden, Patio and container plants, Prairie planting, Cottage and informal garden
- Native to
- New Zealand
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Easy to grow in most well-drained fertile soils. Will not tolerate excessive winter wet and avoid extremes of wet and dry
- Pruning
- In summer cut out any dead leaves
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in containers in a cold frame in spring or by division in early summer
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free