Situate in full sun to light shade along the coast but provide some shade further inland and give regular to frequent irrigation. Hardy to USDA 7 (0-10° F). If planted in an aquatic situation, make sure the crown is above the water level as it tolerates wet soil but not prolonged submersion. Once established this plant can also tolerate considerable dryness but where irrigated regularly expect it to reseed a bit. Groom plantings annually by raking through the clump to remove old leaves and inflorescences. To highlight this sedge, place in a spot to show off its pendulous quality, perhaps on a bank above a pond, in an elevated pot, spilling over a wall or on a irrigated slope where its trailing foliage can look like water flowing. Plantsman Dan Hinkley has called this plant "a symphonic movement in pewter."

Carex albula is native to the river flats in the south Island of New Zealand where it is often commonly called White Sedge or New Zealand Hair Sedge. The name for the genus is a Latin word describing the sedges and the specific epithet is the Latin word meaning "whitish".

We first began growing this plant in 1989 though initially introduced it into cultivation under the name Carex comans, a very similar species that also comes from New Zealand. We listed it under this name for several years until we were assured that this plant was actually a Carex albula cultivar, though typically Carex comans is the plant with the more lax foliage seen with the plant marketed as Frosty Curls. We continued to grow it until we closed the nursery in 2025. 

Information displayed on this page about Carex albula is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.