Blue oat is an easy-care ornamental grass that likes to be dry and sunny. More about planting time and care can be found here.
Anyone looking for an attractive and undemanding ornamental grass will be delighted with the blue-ray meadow oat (Helictotrichon sempervirens). The plant is one of the particularly species-rich sweet grasses. Characteristic are the narrow blue-green leaves that come from the clumps that are almost half a meter high. In summer, the light brown panicles of flowers appear, which enrich the picture in the perennial border. The heat-tolerant plants are easy to cultivate and are very well adapted to our climate.
The blue-ray meadow oat is also known as the evergreen meadow oat, blue-ray perennial oat or blue-ray oat for short. The ornamental grass belongs to the genus Helictotrichon, which has around 100 species. The natural distribution area is on dry slopes and on rocky subsoil. The blue-rayed meadow oat is native to the Mediterranean Sea and the Maritime Alps.
The striking leaf color makes the blue-ray oat a welcome addition to beds and tubs. Standing alone is also possible. Group planting is particularly appealing when combined with red-leaved plants. Contrasts can be set in combination with large-leaved perennial plants.
Blue Ray Oat Location
The blue-ray oat is one of the few plants that cannot get enough sun. Most ornamental plants cultivated in our latitudes suffer burns in the blazing midday sun and are better off in a partially shaded location. This gap can be closed with the blue-ray oat. In addition, the ornamental grasses have nothing against a dry location with a stony subsoil.
So the blue-ray oat is a welcome loosening up in the rock garden and in the steppe garden. Planting on embankments is also possible without any problems. Greening of flat roofs is also an option.
Pretty companions in the garden bed are:
- sage
- Lavender
- Catnip
- Roses
The plant does not tolerate waterlogging. Preserve the roots for a longer periodPeriod of too much moisture, the blue-ray oat begins to wither.
» Tip: Blue-ray oats should not be mulched, as the mulch layer keeps the moisture in the soil.
| Blue oat (Helictotrichon sempervirens) | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | spreading, arching, clump-forming |
| Growth: | 35 - 120 cm |
| Growth: | 50 - 60 cm |
| Special Features: | beautiful fruit decoration, for dry soil, hardy |
| Location: | Sun |
| Floor: | dry, permeable, poor in nutrients |
Blue oat soil
The location requirements of the blue-ray oat correspond to a permeable, stony and calcareous soil. A sandy soil can be improved by adding compost, peat or potting soil.
Heavy clay soil is prone to waterlogging and should therefore be made more permeable by adding gravel or sand.
Plant Blue Ray Oat
The blue-ray oat is sold as a container plant. The plant pot should already be well rooted, without the root system displacing the earth and spilling out of the container.
Blue oats in a 0.5 liter pot:
Blue-ray meadow oat can be planted between March and October. However, there must be no ground frost yet. So that the plant can grow well, the spring is the optimal planting time.
» Note: If blue-ray oats are planted in autumn, winter protection is necessary.
Planting is recommended individually or in groups. A planting distance of 60 cm must be maintained. So that there are no large gaps in the bed, biennial plants can be used to bridge the gap until the blue-ray oat has spread accordingly.
Planting step by step:
- Set Location
- Clear soil, remove weeds
- Prepare the ground
- Dig planting hole
- Insert Blue Ray Meadow Oat
- Fill substrate
- Press the earth well
- Water the plant
Water blue oat
The plant can handle drought very well. Under normalDepending on the climatic conditions, the rainwater supplies the blue-ray oat with sufficient moisture. Moderate watering during prolonged dry periods. The plant indicates any need for liquid by drooping foliage.
» Tip: On hot summer days, you should water in the early morning or late evening. Then the foliage remains protected from burns.
Fertilize blue oat
The desert plant has a low nutrient requirement. If some compost or horn shavings are mixed into the substrate during planting, the blue-ray oat does not require any further fertilization. An organic fertilizer can be given every two to three years.
All planting and care tips at a glance
| Occupation | What matters? |
| Select Location | sunny dry warm |
| Prepare the ground | fresh dry well drained calcareous rocky |
| Plant Blue Ray Oat | can be planted from spring to autumn planting distance: 60 cm planting in tubs possible |
| Water blue oat | adapted to drought watering only necessary during longer periods of drought avoid waterlogging |
| Fertilize blue oat | low nutrient requirement mix in compost or horn shavings when planting |
Blue Ray Oats - 2 Popular Varieties
➔ Blue Ray Oat Pendula
Pendula is a particularly robust variety with decorative blue-green foliage. The creamy-white flowers are particularly eye-catching. In an ideal location, Pendula can grow up to a meter in height.
➔ Blue Ray Oat Sapphire Bubble
Saphirsprudel impresses with a light foliage in an attractive blue-silver. The evergreen plants have long stems adorned with filigree panicles of flowers.
Cutting Blue Ray Oats
The ornamental grass does not necessarily have to be cut. The filigree stalks are also an ornament in the wintry garden.
» Tip: If you still want to prune blue-ray oats, you should not do so in autumn, as the foliage is a valuable winter protection for the plants.
Blue-ray meadow oat can also be cut back in spring if necessary. The entire plant is shortened to a height of about ten centimeters.
Propagating blue-ray oats
Propagation can be by division or sowing.
➔Propagating Blue Ray Oats by Division
A division of larger plants is in spring possible. The whole plant must first be dug up. This gives you an opportunity to check the roots and remove diseased or dead parts of the plant.
With a sharp spade, the blue-ray oat can be cut into several pieces. These can be immediately transplanted separately and strong, independent plants will develop as they sprout.
➔ Propagating Blue Ray Oats by Sowing
The sowing requires a little more patience. If you are already cultivating a blue-ray oat, you can collect the seeds in late summer and keep them cool and dry over the winter. The seeds can also be purchased ready-to-use from specialist retailers.
From the beginning of March the seeds can be grown in seed soil on the windowsill. The seeds may only be covered very thinly with soil and must be kept evenly moist.
» Tip: To prevent the seeds from getting too wet and moldy, you can use a plant sprayer to water them.
Young plants are less robust and should be kept frost-free in the plant pot for the first year.
Detect diseases and pests
The robust plants are not susceptible to diseases or pests. If the recommended planting distance is not observed, the blue-ray oat will quickly find it too cramped in the bed and fungal infestation can occur.
Since fungal infestation spreads quickly, the plant should be thinned out generously. All parts of the plant affected by the fungal attack are removed. Usually no further treatment is required. The blue-ray meadow oat will recover quickly and sprout as usual in the following year.
Winter oats
The plants are hardy and do not need special protection. An exception are young plants and specimens planted out in autumn. Winter protection from leaves or brushwood protects against severe frost.
Potted plants always need frost protection. If the planter freezes through, the blue-ray meadow oat can no longer absorb moisture and nutrients through the roots. Place the plant pot on a wooden or styrofoam base and wrap the plant pot with garden fleece.