Orange New Zealand sedge

Orange New Zealand sedge: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Loose, rounded, arching tuft 30–45 cm tall and up to 60 cm across.

Leaves

Narrow and fine, olive green; in sun and cold orange to coppery brown, with orange tips.

Flowers

In June–July: long, thin stems with small brown spikes, often trailing.

Colour

The sunnier the spot, the brighter the orange; in shade it stays greener.

Roots

Fine, fibrous roots that cannot stand waterlogging.

Flowering: June–July · Plants: March–May · Pruning: April and September

Why grow it?

• Warm orange and copper tones all year, brightest in winter.
• A fine, moving tuft that spills attractively over a low wall, the rim of a pot or a step.
• Ideal in pots and containers, on its own or as an edging for other plants.
• Evergreen: colour and structure in the winter garden.
• Compact and low-maintenance: no annual cutting back.

Orange New Zealand sedge: where does it grow best?

• Full sun for the best orange colour; partial shade works, but the leaves then stay greener.
• Free-draining sandy or loamy soil, acid to chalky; on heavy clay only in a raised bed.
• Normally moist in summer, but never wet in winter.
• A sheltered spot, for example in front of a south-facing wall, helps in severe winters.
• Plant 40–50 cm apart.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.45 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Hardiness

Half hardy (to -12 °C): protect it in harsh winters

Goes well with

• Mexican feather grass: Fine, light plumes that sway beautifully next to the orange tuft.
• Heuchera: Purple or dark red leaves in a pot or border: a warm colour contrast.
• Blue fescue: Blue-grey tufts that make the orange glow.
• Ice plant: A succulent for the same sunny, free-draining spot, with pink flowers in late summer.

Orange New Zealand sedge: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May.

1. Plant from March to May, so it is well rooted before winter; not in autumn.
2. Improve heavy soil with coarse sand or fine gravel and some compost, or plant in a raised bed.
3. Set the tuft at the same depth as it was in the pot, no deeper: the crown must stay dry.
4. Space plants 40–50 cm apart.
5. Water in well and water in dry spells for the first few weeks.
6. In a pot: mix potting compost with a third of coarse sand or fine gravel and make sure there is a drainage hole.

Care

Water

In open ground, in dry spells during the first year. In a pot, regularly in summer and very sparingly in winter.

Feeding

Little needed: a little compost in April is enough.

Tidying

In April, comb the dead leaves out of the tuft with gloved fingers.

Rejuvenating

After a few years the centre of the tuft often goes bare: divide it then, or replace it with a seedling.

Pots

In winter, stand pots against a wall under an overhang, out of the rain.

Tip: Give it full sun for the best orange colour and plant it in spring in free-draining soil or in a pot with gravel: that is how it gets through a wet winter best.

Orange New Zealand sedge: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April and September.

When: Do not cut back: in April just clear out the dead leaves, and in September you can cut off untidy flower stems.

How:

• In April, comb or pull the dead leaves out of the tuft, wearing gloves.
• Cut long, spent flower stems off at the base when they become untidy.
• Do not cut the tuft down to the ground: New Zealand sedges recover slowly from that.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In April–May, as growth starts: lift the tuft, split it into pieces with plenty of roots and replant them at once. Do not divide in autumn.

Self-sown seedlings

Seedlings sometimes appear around the plant by themselves. Move them to their final spot in spring.

Orange New Zealand sedge: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −12 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Moderately hardy, to about −12 °C: it survives an ordinary Belgian winter on free-draining soil, but severe frost can kill it.
• Wet roots are more dangerous than cold: make sure drainage is good and do not plant in a hollow.
• In hard frost, lay a few conifer branches or some fleece over the tuft and remove them as soon as the weather turns milder.
• In a pot: stand it in a sheltered spot against a wall, out of the rain, and wrap the pot in hessian or bubble wrap.

Diseases and pests

• Root rot: The tuft turns brown and limp from the inside and comes away easily. Cause: wet soil in winter. Replant in a well-drained spot.
• Bare centre: The middle of an older tuft dies off. Divide the plant in spring and replant the young pieces from the edge.
• Green instead of orange: Too little sun. Move it to a sunnier spot.
• Looks dead: The brownish-orange leaves sometimes look dead, but that is normal for this species. Look into the centre: if there are new shoots, it is alive.

Through the year

• January: Orange winter colour. Keep pots dry.
• March: Plant. Move pots back into the sun.
• April: Comb out dead leaves. Plant or divide. Add a little compost.
• May: Plant or divide. Water in dry spells.
• June: Flowering: thin stems with brown spikes.
• July: Flowering. Water pots regularly.
• August: Water in dry spells, especially in pots.
• September: Cut off untidy flower stems.
• November: Move pots under an overhang against a wall.
• December: Winter colour. Cover in hard frost.

Did you know?

• ‘Testacea’ comes from the Latin testaceus, ‘brick-coloured’: a reference to its orange-brown colour.
• Many New Zealand sedges are naturally brown, bronze or orange; there it is an ordinary leaf colour, not a sign of disease.
• The same plant is olive green in shade and bright orange in full sun: the light decides the colour.