Carex testacea * Orange Sedge

Carex testacea has such an unusual orange color that it can bring an exotic new look to a garden. The loose flowing blades of Carex testacea trail very softly. I have had virtually no seedlings from Carex testacea, so don't expect it to become a pest. I have found success with Orange Sedge plantings in well drained moist gardens. I have lost plantings where the temperatures dropped into the teens with heavy soils. I am not sure which was the greater culprit, the cold or the soggy soils. Orange Sedge looks great in mass plantings as well as where the foliage can contrast with the gray garden. Carex testacea is a potential larval food source for the California Common Ringlet butterfly.