Advanced Search Filters

Plant Type
Hardiness Zone
Heat Zone
Sunset Zone
Function
Sun Exposure
Soil Moisture
Water Requirement

Carex buchananii 'Red Rooster'

Image of Carex buchananii 'Red Rooster'

Jessie Keith

Family

Cyperaceae

Botanical Name

Carex buchananii 'Red Rooster'

Plant Common Name

Buchanan's Sedge, Leatherleaf Sedge, Red Rooster Sedge

General Description

This is an eye-catching, useful selection of a sedge native to New Zealand. The long, slender leaves grow in a dense, stiff, upright-to-fanlike clump. They are orange-brown to red-brown, giving the plant a dried look though it is growing actively. Though it much resembles an ornamental grass, it comes from a different family all together, and like many of its fellow sedges, is more versatile than grasses, being tolerant of both full sun and partial sun and moist to almost-wet soils. The tiny flowers appear in clusters atop thin stems in mid-summer. The leaves are evergreen in warm climates, perennial in colder climates, where they wither and brown in autumn. Remove them in winter to make way for the new leaves in spring.

Grow this plant in sun to partial shade in moist, well-drained soil. Use it for its contrasts of color, texture and habit in containers, mixed beds and mixed borders. Or plant it as edging for walkways, or massed as a groundcover.

Characteristics

  • AHS Heat Zone

    9 - 5

  • USDA Hardiness Zone

    6 - 9

  • Sunset Zone

    2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24

  • Plant Type

    Sedge or Rush

  • Sun Exposure

    Full Sun, Partial Sun

  • Height

    20"-30" / 50.8cm - 76.2cm

  • Width

    24"-36" / 61.0cm - 91.4cm

  • Bloom Time

    Summer, Late Summer

  • Native To

    New Zealand

Growing Conditions

  • Soil pH

    Acidic, Neutral

  • Soil Drainage

    Average

  • Soil type

    Loam, Sand

  • Growth Rate

    Medium

  • Habit

    Arching/Fountain-shaped

  • Seasonal Interest

    Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Ornamental Features

  • Flower Interest

    Insignificant

  • Flower Color

    Sandy Brown

  • Foliage Color (Spring)

    Orange, Sandy Brown, Copper

  • Foliage Color (Summer)

    Orange, Sandy Brown, Copper

  • Foliage Color (Fall)

    Orange, Sandy Brown, Copper

  • Foliage Color (Winter)

    Orange, Sandy Brown, Copper

  • Fragrant Flowers

    No

  • Fragrant Fruit

    No

  • Fragrant Foliage

    No

  • Bark or Stem Fragrant

    No

  • Repeat Bloomer

    No

  • Showy Fruit

    No

  • Edible Fruit

    No

  • Showy Foliage

    Yes

  • Foliage Texture

    Fine

  • Foliage Sheen

    Glossy

  • Evergreen

    Yes

  • Showy Bark

    No

Special Characteristics

  • Usage

    Container, Edging, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border

  • Sharp or Has Thorns

    No

  • Invasive

    No

  • Self-Sowing

    No