Blue fescue

Blue fescue: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense, rounded tuft 20–30 cm tall and as wide.

Leaves

Fine, rolled and needle-like, steel-blue to blue-grey; evergreen.

Flower

Thin spikes in June–July above the leaves, blue-grey at first, later straw-coloured.

Roots

Fine and fibrous; sensitive to wet soil.

Lifespan

After two or three years the centre dies out: then divide it.

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

Why grow it?

• Blue-grey leaves all year: colour in the garden even in winter.
• Copes with drought and heat once well established.
• Small and compact: ideal for edges, rock gardens, gravel gardens and pots.
• Looks good in small groups or repeated in a neat pattern.
• No feeding needed: it looks best on poor soil.

Blue fescue: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: in shade the leaves lose their blue colour and the tuft falls apart.
• Poor, sandy or loamy soil that drains freely; acid to chalky.
• Dry: it cannot stand wet soil, especially in winter.
• Plant 25–30 cm apart; gravel around the tuft keeps the centre dry.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Lavender: Grey leaves and purple spikes in the same dry, sunny spot.
• Thyme: Low and fragrant, ideal in a gravel garden.
• Sedum: Fleshy leaves and late flowers.
• Catmint: Lilac clouds beside the blue tufts.

Blue fescue: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

1. Plant in March–May or in September–October.
2. Dig a hole a little larger than the rootball; do not add compost or fertiliser.
3. On heavier soil, mix gravel into the planting spot or plant on a small mound.
4. Set the tuft at the same depth as in its pot, no deeper, 25–30 cm apart.
5. Water in, then water in dry spells for the first few weeks.
6. Spread a layer of gravel around the base instead of mulch.

Care

Watering

Only until it is well rooted; after that it copes very well with drought. In pots water sparingly.

Feeding

Do not feed: on rich soil the leaves lose their blue colour and the tuft goes floppy.

Combing

In spring comb the dead leaves out of the tuft with your fingers or a rake.

Dividing

Every two or three years in spring, or the centre will die out.

Pots

Use a pot with a drainage hole and a mix of potting compost and gravel.

Tip: Spread gravel rather than compost around the tuft: the centre stays dry and the blue shows up even better.

Blue fescue: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and August.

When: In March comb the dead leaves out of the tuft. After flowering, in August, you can cut off the spent flower spikes.

How:

• Pull the dead, brown leaves out with your fingers or a small rake; gloves are handy.
• Do not cut the tuft right down: combing suits this evergreen grass better.
• After flowering, cut the spikes off at the base if you want a neat tuft.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In March–April or September: lift the tuft, pull or cut it into pieces and replant only the young, vigorous outer parts.

Seed

The species can be sown in spring, but named varieties do not come true and the colour varies.

Blue fescue: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Hardy to about −25 °C and evergreen.
• Wet soil in winter is more dangerous than frost: make sure drainage is good.
• In pots: raise the pot on pot feet so water can drain away.

Diseases and pests

• Root rot: On wet soil the tuft rots and turns brown. Plant in a dry, free-draining spot, if need be on a mound with gravel.
• Bare or brown centre: A sign that the tuft is too old. Divide it and replant the vigorous parts.
• Green instead of blue: Too much shade or too rich a soil. Move it into full sun and do not feed.
• Dead leaves: Brown blades among the blue, especially after winter. Comb them out in spring.

Through the year

• March: Comb out dead leaves. Plant or divide.
• April: Plant or divide.
• May: Plant. Water young plants.
• June: Flowering: thin spikes above the leaves.
• July: Flowering. No feeding, little water.
• August: Cut off spent flower spikes.
• September: Plant or divide.
• October: Plant. Spread gravel around the tuft.
• December: The blue leaves bring colour to the winter garden.

Did you know?

• Glauca means ‘blue-grey’: the colour comes from a thin waxy layer on the leaves, which protects the plant from sun and drying out.
• The leaves are rolled so that they lose less water: an adaptation to dry, sunny places.
• The blue is most intense on poor, dry soil in full sun.