NZ Native Grasses, Sedges & Rushes: Which One is Right for Your Garden?

New Zealand's native grasses, sedges, tussocks, and rushes are some of the most versatile and underused plants in the garden. They add movement, texture, and year-round structure — and most are incredibly tough once established. But with so many species to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start.

This guide compares all the native grass-like plants we grow at Mohua Nursery, so you can find the right one for your site, style, and purpose.

Quick Comparison: At a Glance

Plant Height Sun Moisture Best Use
Toetoe 2–3 m Full sun Dry to wet Feature, shelter, revegetation
Mini Toetoe 60–90 cm Full sun Dry to moist Smaller gardens, borders
Red Tussock 60–90 cm Full sun Dry to moist Wetland, alpine, feature
Silver Tussock 30–60 cm Full sun Dry to moist Dry banks, lawns, mass planting
Wind Grass 60–90 cm Sun to shade Dry to moist Borders, under trees, containers
Festuca actae 20–30 cm Full sun Dry Coastal, rockery, edging
Carex comans 30–45 cm Sun to shade Dry to moist Borders, groundcover
Carex testacea 30–45 cm Full sun Dry to moist Colour contrast, borders
Carex secta 60–90 cm Sun to shade Wet Wetland, stream banks
Carex virgata 60–90 cm Sun to shade Dry to wet Riparian, wetland
Carex geminata 60–90 cm Sun to shade Wet Wetland, boggy ground
Giant Rush 1–1.5 m Full sun Wet Wetland, pond margins
Oioi Rush 60–90 cm Full sun Wet to brackish Coastal wetland, estuaries
Giant Umbrella Sedge 1–1.5 m Full sun Wet Wetland, water features

The Tall Statement Grasses

These are the showstoppers — bold, architectural plants that create immediate impact.

Toetoe (Austroderia richardii)

Toetoe is New Zealand's native pampas grass — and far superior to the invasive exotic pampas that plagues our roadsides. Growing 2–3 metres tall with graceful, arching leaves and spectacular creamy-white plumes in spring and summer, Toetoe is a bold feature plant for large gardens, shelter belts, and stream banks. It thrives in full sun with moist to wet soils and is excellent for revegetation of riparian margins. Choose Toetoe if you want a large, dramatic statement plant with wildlife value — its plumes are used by birds for nesting material.

Mini Toetoe (Chionochloa flavicans)

All the elegance of Toetoe in a more garden-friendly size. Mini Toetoe grows to around 60–90 cm with fine, arching leaves and delicate golden flower heads. It suits smaller gardens, mixed borders, and containers, and is more tolerant of drier conditions than its larger relative. Choose Mini Toetoe if you love the look of Toetoe but need something scaled for a suburban garden or a border planting.

The Tussocks

Tussocks are the backbone of New Zealand's open landscapes — tough, long-lived, and beautiful in mass plantings.

Red Tussock (Chionochloa rubra)

One of New Zealand's most iconic high-country plants, Red Tussock forms dense, rounded clumps of warm reddish-bronze foliage that glow in low light. Growing 60–90 cm tall, it is well suited to moist, cool conditions and is one of the best natives for wetland margins, boggy ground, and alpine-style gardens. It is slower-growing than some other grasses but extremely long-lived. Choose Red Tussock for a naturalistic, high-country aesthetic, wetland planting, or as a bold colour accent in a mixed border.

Silver Tussock (Poa cita)

Silver Tussock is one of New Zealand's most versatile and underrated native grasses. It forms neat, fine-leaved clumps of silvery-green foliage 30–60 cm tall, and is exceptionally drought-tolerant once established. It works beautifully as a lawn alternative, groundcover, or mass planting on dry banks and slopes. Unlike many grasses, it stays tidy without much maintenance. Choose Silver Tussock for dry, sunny sites, low-maintenance mass planting, or as a fine-textured contrast to bolder plants.

The Fine-Textured Grasses

These grasses bring softness, movement, and subtle colour to the garden.

Wind Grass (Anemanthele lessoniana)

Wind Grass is one of the most beautiful and adaptable of all New Zealand's native grasses. Its fine, arching leaves shift from green to warm orange-red in autumn and winter, creating a stunning seasonal display. Growing 60–90 cm tall, it is one of the few native grasses that tolerates shade, making it invaluable under trees or in dappled light. It self-seeds readily, which can be useful for naturalising areas. Choose Wind Grass for shade tolerance, autumn colour, naturalistic planting, or as a graceful filler in mixed borders.

Festuca actae (Banks Peninsula Fescue)

A compact, fine-leaved fescue native to the coastal cliffs of Banks Peninsula, Festuca actae forms tight, blue-green mounds just 20–30 cm tall. It is one of the most drought and salt-tolerant of all native grasses, making it ideal for coastal rockeries, dry banks, and edging. It is also one of the tidiest and most architectural of the small grasses. Choose Festuca actae for coastal gardens, rockeries, dry and exposed sites, or anywhere you need a neat, low-growing grass with a blue-green hue.

The Carex Sedges

Carex are not true grasses but sedges — and they are some of the most useful and ornamental plants in the native palette. New Zealand has over 70 native Carex species, and we grow five of the most garden-worthy at Mohua Nursery.

Carex comans

One of the most popular native sedges, Carex comans forms dense, hair-like clumps of very fine, pale green to bronze foliage that spills gracefully to the ground. Growing 30–45 cm tall, it is excellent as a groundcover, border edging, or container plant. It tolerates a wide range of conditions including partial shade. Choose Carex comans for a soft, flowing texture in borders, as a groundcover under shrubs, or in containers.

Carex testacea

The most colourful of the native sedges, Carex testacea has fine, arching leaves that are olive-green at the base and warm orange-bronze at the tips — the colour intensifying in full sun. Growing 30–45 cm tall, it is one of the best native plants for adding warm tones to a planting scheme. It is more drought-tolerant than most Carex. Choose Carex testacea for colour contrast, sunny borders, and anywhere you want warm orange tones in the garden.

Carex secta

A larger, more architectural sedge, Carex secta grows 60–90 cm tall and forms a distinctive raised pedestal of roots and old leaf bases over time. It thrives in wet and boggy conditions and is one of the best natives for stream banks, pond margins, and wetland planting. Choose Carex secta for wet sites, stream banks, and naturalistic wetland plantings where you want height and structure.

Carex virgata

A robust, upright sedge growing 60–90 cm tall, Carex virgata is one of the most common native sedges of lowland wetlands and stream margins. It is fast-establishing and excellent for erosion control on wet banks and riparian margins. Choose Carex virgata for riparian planting, erosion control on wet slopes, and large-scale wetland revegetation.

Carex geminata

A spreading, rhizomatous sedge that forms dense colonies in wet ground, Carex geminata is particularly valuable for stabilising boggy or waterlogged soils. It grows 60–90 cm tall and spreads by underground runners to form a weed-suppressing mat. Choose Carex geminata for boggy ground, wetland restoration, and sites where you need a spreading, colonising plant to stabilise wet soil.

The Rushes

Rushes are the workhorses of wetland planting — tough, fast-growing, and ecologically invaluable.

Giant Rush (Juncus pallidus)

One of New Zealand's largest native rushes, Giant Rush grows 1–1.5 metres tall with stiff, upright, cylindrical stems. It is a fast-establishing plant for pond margins, wetlands, and boggy ground, and provides excellent habitat for waterfowl and invertebrates. Choose Giant Rush for large-scale wetland planting, pond margins, and sites that are permanently wet or seasonally flooded.

Oioi Rush (Apodasmia similis)

Oioi is a distinctive, jointed rush native to coastal wetlands, estuaries, and salt marshes. Growing 60–90 cm tall with bright green, segmented stems, it is one of the few native plants that tolerates brackish (slightly salty) water, making it irreplaceable for coastal wetland restoration. Choose Oioi for coastal wetlands, estuaries, salt marsh restoration, and any site with brackish or tidal influence.

Giant Umbrella Sedge (Cyperus ustulatus)

A tall, striking sedge growing 1–1.5 metres with distinctive umbrella-like flower heads, Cyperus ustulatus is a bold architectural plant for wet sites and water features. It spreads by rhizomes to form large colonies in permanently wet ground. Choose Giant Umbrella Sedge for large water features, wetland margins, and sites where you want a dramatic, tall sedge with architectural flower heads.

How to Choose: A Simple Decision Guide

Shop All Native Grasses and Sedges

Browse our full range of native grasses, sedges, tussocks, and rushes at Mohua Nursery — all grown to premium quality and ready to thrive in your New Zealand garden.

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