Blue fescue is an undemanding, robust ornamental grass that, with its hemispherical growth, ensures beauty in the garden all year round.
Among the fescue species, the blue fescue (Festuca glauca) is particularly popular. Its blue-green blades of grass create extraordinary color accents in the garden and create a harmonious atmosphere. Rock garden concepts in particular benefit from the unique shade of blue that the clumps of the blue fescue conjure up in the bed.The blue fescue owes its strong blue coloring to the extremely barren and sunny locations in its areas of origin. These are mainly in southern France and thus in the Mediterraneum. Not only the varieties of Festuca glauca, but also other blue fescue species are often referred to as blue fescue. If you want the original in your garden, you have to be careful when buying it.
Gardeners also need to keep a watchful eye when caring for the sweet grass. Mistakes in care not only affect the beautiful blue color of the plant. Misconduct can also endanger the longevity of the fescue species and make the plant susceptible to damage. For that reason, here are some important tips for growing Festuca glauca.
Blue fescue in the garden
Blue fescue grows in compact, spherical clumps, which are ideal cushion perennials and ground cover thanks to their small height of only 15 to 30 cm. In addition, the fescue species is often used as a lawn substitute for locations where conventional grasses have a hard time. This applies in particular to the
- Roof Garden
- Heidegarten
- Mediterranean Garden
- Prairie Garden
- or Rock Garden.
Especially in the rock garden, the deep blue coloring of the blue fescue sets very contrasting accents to rather inconspicuous grasses with a greenish-yellow coloring. The blue color wonder also effectively enhances monotonous stone and gravel surfaces. The highlight here are the beige-yellow flower spikes, which grow picturesquely out of the silvery-blue blades of grass in summer.
An insider tip is blue fescue for balconies, where the sweet grass reliably enhances joyless balcony locations. Some gardeners have become so fond of the blue fescue that they use it as a cushion perennial foruse entire roof and bed areas, slopes or dry walls. However, the ornamental grass also comes into its own in combination plantings with other classic Mediterranean and rock garden plants.
For example, Festuca glauca harmonises wonderfully with lavender, which also has slightly blue-green leaves and is therefore an ideal planting partner for blue fescue. Drought-loving plants such as aloe vera, feather grass, thrifts, houseleek, stonecrop, rosemary or thyme are also beautiful border neighbors. Last but not least, interesting effects can of course be achieved in combination with other fescue species, such as the red fescue or bearskin fescue.
| Blue fescue (Festuca glaucaa) | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | cushion-like, hemispherical, clumpy |
| Growth: | 10 - 25 cm |
| Growth: | 20 - 30 cm |
| Plant Supplies: | 15 to 17 pieces per m² |
| Location: | Sun |
| Floor: | dry, well drained, poor in nutrients |
Blue fescue - location and planting
The right location is crucial if you want to show off the unique coloring of the blue fescue. For this purpose, the soil must be barren and nutrient-poor. Because the poorer the soil, the stronger the blue color develops. Instead of nutrients, you can add some lime to the soil. Festuca glauca is relatively fond of lime and the plant prefers a neutral soil pH value, which can be wonderfully achieved with lime. In addition, a dry, well-drained and gritty to sandy substrate and the blue fescue feels completely at home in terms of soil technology.
In terms of lighting conditions at the location, one should also keep an eye on the colorfulness of Festuca glauca. In the semi-shade, the magical blue increasingly turns into a simple green after new growth. You can plant the plant in partial shade if necessary, but then you have to do without the characteristic blue color.
Planting instructions step by step
1. Step:
Blue fescue should only be planted when the soil is dry and frost-free. It is therefore best to choose a planting date in late spring after the last frosts.
A good soil drainage made of gravel or expanded clay is essential for blue fescue. The site soil should also be thinned out with gravel, sand and/or grit.
3. Step:
The optimal onePlanting distance for blue fescue is about 25 - 30 cm, because the clumps of the ornamental grass later grow that wide. If the planting distance is not maintained, the grass clumps of neighboring plants threaten to bump into each other, which leads to bare leaves on the outside.
Blue fescue - water and fertilize
In outdoor cultivation no watering or fertilizing is necessary with blue fescue. On the contrary, both affect the strong blue coloring and also the growth of the plant. The following applies: the blue fescue thrives particularly well and colorfully when it is permanently sunny, dry and low in nutrients in the field.
However, the plant could need a little more attention in pot locations. In addition to occasional watering, starting fertilization in spring, between March and April, is also recommended. Also think for pot cultures good soil drainage so that irrigation water can run off quickly. The plants do not mind being watered with hard tap water.
Pruning and propagating blue fescue
Fescue species are extremely prolific. After flowering, many small caryopsis form as seed stocks in their spikey panicles. These spread quite unbridled in the garden with the wind. In order to prevent this, you have to cut purposefully. Various pruning measures are also necessary to shape and rejuvenate the plant.
Flower cutting
The cut during flowering can be used to remove beautiful blue fescue spikes, for example to decorate bouquets or arrangements with them. On the other hand, by cutting out withered inflorescences, the self-seeding of the blue fescue is also curbed.
Topiary
In autumn you can cut back unsightly blades of grass. But keep an eye on the shape of the clumps and cut mainly at the edges according to the shape.
Pruning
The strong blue coloring of the blue fescue is strongest when it is new. To encourage it, we recommend cutting back wilted parts of the plant close to the ground in spring before they sprout.
Propagation
In order to rejuvenate the blue fescue, the clumps must occasionally be divided in addition to regular pruning. After a few years, fescue species tend to bare from the inside out. Therefore, dig up the plant every two to three years in spring and divide the rootstock with a spade or sharp knife. You can then immediately put the sections back in the bed.
Blue fescue -beautiful varieties for the garden
There is a whole range of cultivars of blue fescue, which differ significantly from each other in terms of individual growth height and varying shades of blue in their leaves. Some of the most popular varieties include:
- 'Blue Fox' approx. 50 cm high; strong sea green stalks
- 'Blue Heat' - approx. 25 cm high; grey-blue culms
- 'Compact Blue' - approx. 30 cm high; bright, blue-green culms
- 'Kingfisher' - about 30 cm high; kingfisher blue stalks
- 'Elijah Blue' - approx. 25 cm high; silvery blue stems
- 'Intense Blue' - approx. 40 cm high; metallic blue stems
Diseases and Pests
Festuca glauca is actually very resistant to pests. However, care mistakes can very quickly contribute to brown discoloration, root rot and a reduced lifespan of the ornamental grass. Therefore, always remember not to overwater and over-fertilize blue fescue. If you pay attention to the needs of the plant, you will enjoy the bright blue ornamental grass for a long time.