Festuca amethystina

Festuca amethystina: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense, rounded tuft 20–30 cm tall and about 30 cm across; flowering stems up to about 40 cm.

Leaves

Very fine and thread-like, blue-green to grey-green, slightly arching.

Flowers

In May–June, slender panicles on thin stems, tinted purple at first, later straw-coloured.

Roots

Fine, fibrous roots without runners; the tuft widens only slowly.

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

Why grow it?

• Blue-green leaves all year round, even in winter.
• Purplish panicles in May–June, which give it its name.
• Drought-tolerant: ideal for sunny, dry spots, rock gardens and gravel gardens.
• Longer-lived than blue fescue and slower to go bare in the middle.
• Compact: lovely as edging, in groups or in pots.

Festuca amethystina: where does it grow best?

• Full sun for the best blue colour; in shade the leaves turn greener and the tuft falls open.
• Free-draining sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky; heavy, wet clay is not recommended.
• Dry to normally moist soil, never waterlogged in winter.
• Plant 25–30 cm apart, in small groups or as edging.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Thyme: A low, fragrant ground cover for the same sunny, dry spot.
• Lavender: Purple flowers and grey leaves that suit the blue-green tufts.
• Pinks: Fragrant pink or white flowers in summer, also for dry, chalky soil.
• Ornamental onion: Purple globes in May–June, at the same time as the purplish panicles.
• Stonecrop: Low, fleshy leaves and summer flowers, for the same dry spot.

Festuca amethystina: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

1. Plant from March to May or in September–October.
2. On heavy soil, mix coarse sand or fine gravel into the top layer, or plant in a raised bed.
3. Set the tuft at the same depth as it was in the pot, no deeper.
4. Space plants 25–30 cm apart, about 10 plants per m².
5. Water in well and water in dry spells for the first few weeks.
6. Mulch with gravel rather than compost: that keeps the crown dry.

Care

Water

Only until it is established; after that it copes even in dry summers.

Feeding

Not needed: on poor soil it stays more compact and better coloured.

Tidying

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

Flower stems

Cut the spent stems off at the base in July; the tuft then looks neat again.

Rejuvenating

If an old tuft goes bare in the middle, divide it in spring.

Tip: Plant it in full sun on lean, free-draining soil and comb out the dead leaves every spring instead of cutting: the tuft will stay compact and blue-green for years.

Festuca amethystina: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and July.

When: Evergreen: do not cut back. In March you comb out the dead leaves; in July you cut off the spent flower stems.

How:

• In March, comb or pull the dead leaves out of the tuft, wearing gloves.
• Cut the flower stems off at the base after flowering.
• Do not cut the blue-green leaves short: the tuft is slow to recover.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In March–April or September: lift the tuft, pull it apart into pieces with roots and replant them at once.

Seed

Sow in spring in small pots of sandy seed compost and cover the seed lightly. Seedlings may differ a little from the parent plant.

Festuca amethystina: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• Wet soil in winter is more dangerous than frost: make sure drainage is good.
• The leaves remain and give colour to the winter garden.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall, out of the rain, and keep the compost fairly dry in winter.

Diseases and pests

• Rotting centre: Brown, limp patches in the tuft, especially after a wet winter. Improve drainage with gravel and plant higher.
• Bare centre: Older tufts die off in the middle. Divide them in spring and replant the young pieces from the edge.
• Green, floppy leaves: Too little sun or soil that is too rich. Move it to a sunny, lean spot.
• Lots of dead leaves: After winter there are brown leaves in the tuft. Comb them out in March: that is normal maintenance.

Through the year

• March: Comb out dead leaves. Plant or divide.
• April: Plant or divide.
• May: Flowering: purplish panicles.
• June: Flowering. The panicles turn straw-coloured.
• July: Cut off spent flower stems.
• August: Water only young plants in dry spells.
• September: Plant or divide.
• October: Plant.
• December: Blue-green leaves in the winter garden.

Did you know?

• ‘Amethystina’ refers to the purplish, amethyst-coloured tint of the young panicles.
• Festuca is the Latin word for ‘stalk’ or ‘straw’.
• The same genus includes everyday fescues such as red fescue, which is common in lawn seed mixtures.