Fantastic Design Plant: Blue Fescue
Without doubt, certain plants are tied to certain garden styles and are restricted by climate and available square footage. But the final thing I’m searching for in landscape design is another rule to follow. Grasses are extremely flexible — that I appreciate — and the particularly bold yet petite blue fescue harmonizes with almost every garden design and planting colour.
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Botanical name: Festuca glauca
Common names: Frequent blue fescue; blue fescue
USDA zones: 4 to 8 (find your zone)
Water condition: Drought tolerant; appears best with supplemental water
Light condition: Best color in full sunlight; semi shade in the hottest climates
Mature size: Up to 14 inches tall (with inflorescence) and 10 inches wide
Benefits and tolerances: Deer resistant; tolerant of drought, and coastal states and poor soils
Seasonal curiosity: Nearly evergreen; insignificant flowers in spring and summertime
When to plant: Divide clumps in spring and autumn; in addition, it can be planted from seed.
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Samuel H. Williamson Associates
Distinguishing traits. Blue fescue is comparatively compact, forming a compact, rounded mound of blue-gray foliage. I like to consider blue fescue as modular — it looks great as a single specimen or massed in a field.
Blue fescue blooms, though marginally insignificantly, in summertime; gold inflorescences add height and a softer feel to the otherwise stiffer structure. When other blossoms fade to a soft golden hue in autumn, blue fescue retains its soft blue colour.
Popular cultivars comprise ‘Elijah Blue’, ‘Blausilber’ and ‘Siskiyou Blue’.
Huettl Landscape Architecture
How to utilize it.
Volume it as a ground coverEdge a planting bed or route Accent a green wall or dwelling roofMix it in a container gardenDot it into a stone gardenHow can’t you utilize blue fescue? Its growing tolerances imply it thrives in several distinct states, but its elastic appearance suits nearly any garden design: modern minimalist gardens, modern coastal gardens and even lush, natural-style gardens.
Huettl Landscape Architecture
Notice: Should you mass blue fescue, make certain to set the plants close together (10 inches or so); it isn’t a clumping grass and won’t fill.
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Planting notes. Blue fescue is low maintenance and relatively worry free but short lived — so it is helpful that maintenance and propagation go hand in hand.
To keep the grass looking its best, split it every few decades to revitalize it. The middle of the grass has a tendency to die out, so if you notice a browning center, split it. To propagate, dig it up and split it in spring or fall.
Simbiosi
Blue fescue will create its bluest colour when grown in full sun, although it can endure in some colour, especially in hotter climates. It looks best when watered but may tolerate periods of drought in addition to frost.
Should you see grass browning after winter, cut back (to about 4 inches) in spring to promote healthy new growth. It is a cool-season grass, doing almost all of its growing in spring and autumn; you might detect dormancy in summer and winter. Grow it.
More: 5 Hot Cool-Season Grasses