Carex testacea

Also Known As

Copper Sedge
Orange New Zealand Sedge
Speckled Sedge

Plant type

perennial, grass / grass like

size

H: 1'-2'
W: 1'-2'

planting zones

6a-10b

More Options

Carex testacea plant details

Carex testacea is a fast-growing evergreen perennial grass (or grassy in appearance) with bronze, chocolate, green and red foliage. In summer chocolate flowers emerge. Features glossy and grassy texture. Grows well with sun - mostly sun and regular water. Does well in average, gritty, rich and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something heat tolerant and verticillium wilt resistant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Carex testacea

Plant type: perennial grass (or grassy in appearance)
Plant family: cyperaceae
Foliage: evergreen bronze, chocolate, green and red
Mature size: 1 FT - 2 FT - wide, 1 FT - 2 FT - tall
Flowers: chocolate blooms in summer
Uses: container plant, edging plant, rock garden, self-sowing, winter interest

GROWING CONDITIONS for Carex testacea

USDA Zones: 6a - 10b
Sun exposure: sun - mostly sun
Watering frequency: regular
Resistant to: deer and snail / slug, heat and verticillium wilt
Soil needs: average, gritty, rich and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

Persistent 'ever brown' leaves with a pleasing coppery cast that intensifies to orange hues in the winter – And just in case you don't know, copper is 'in' right now! 10" tall and clumping out to 24" in a soft arching form – Sun to part shade, Prefers good drainage and regular moisture. Also lovely spilling from a pot! Often reseeds…politely!

By: Secret Garden Growers

Zn 6. Copper brown leaves with orange tips.

By: Little Prince of Oregon

The late summer light brings out the orange glow of this clump forming sedge, contributing to the end of the season display. Arching wispy bronzy orange blades grow 12-18" tall, and up to 2' wide, and are wonderful in fall containers or planted en masse with other late performers like Aster 'October Skies'. Grows well in full sun and well drained soil.

By: Avant Gardens

This New Zealander is hardy, ornamental, evergreen, petite, and colorful--copper-olive in summer and orange in winter, perfect for color in your winter garden. Less sun, though, and it will become more green, which is fine if you want that. The shape is still a good-looking, slightly weeping small fountain, appropriate for a pot or the garden bed. Do not cut back until late winter, and then by just two thirds.

By: Dancing Oaks Nursery

The exotic look of lucent orange foliage paints the garden's verdant canvas nearly year round. Long, fine textured strands first emerge an olive-green and later transmute stunning golden brown, copper and orange highlights. With its upright and dense arching tuft, easy-to-grow Carex testacea is a hardy, drought tolerant grass that entices gardeners, but not deer, insisting on full sun to preserve the extraordinary hues, and good drainage. Let this evergreen New Zealand native spill over a container's edge or cozy up to Yucca 'Garland's Gold', Heuchera 'Obsidian' and Euphorbia myrsinites.

By: Digging Dog Nursery

The distinctive coloring of this mounding sedge makes it a delight in any garden especially when combined with other grasses or broad-leafed perennials. The hair-like olive green foliage takes on a vivid tangerine-colored blush at the tips and glows brilliantly in the sunlight particularly in cold weather. Mature plants grow to 15? tall and grow best in moist, well-drained soils. This sedge tolerates sun or shade, but most gardeners agree that the foliage color is best with at least a half day of sun. In our garden this sedge has reseeded in a pleasing fashion in both sun and shade. Use as an accent, in containers, or along waterways or combine with other boldly colored plants like Phormium 'Shirazz' or Salvia 'Burgundy Bliss'. Hardy to below 0F. New Zealand.

By: Native Sons

Olive and orange tints throughout the year makes this evergreen sedge very appealing. Nice arching fountain of leaves which responds to a hard cutting back in late winter. Easy in any fertile well-drained soil and looks great with dark leaves like Ligularia Britt-Marie Crawford.

By: Far Reaches Farm

My nursery sample pot of this grass is so popular, I could have sold it 1,000 times! The finely textured, glossy leaves begin life as olive green & age to a distinct orange-red as it matures. The elegant, arching, mounding form, 30” tall & wide, makes it a beautiful accent. Ideal for spilling over rocks, massing in borders & stunning in an elevated container (at least 14” diameter). Carex testacea prefers soil that is not too dry & well-drained soil. Best color in full sun.