| blue fescue | |
|---|---|
| |
| Plant | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Unranked: | Angiosperms |
| Unranked: | Monocots |
| Unranked: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Genus: | Festuca |
| Species: | F. glauca |
| Binomial name | |
| Festuca glauca Vill. | |
Festuca glauca, commonly known as blue fescue, is a species of plant in the grass family, Poaceae. It is a commonly cultivated evergreen or semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial.
Taxonomy[]
Common names include Blue Fescue, Blue Mountain Grass, and Grey Fescue. Originally described by French naturalist Dominique Villars, its scientific name glauca is derived from the Latin adjective glaucus "pale blue-grey".
Description[]
Clump-forming ornamental grass noted for its glaucous, finely-textured, blue-gray foliage. Foliage forms a dome-shaped, porcupine-like tuft of erect to arching, needle-like blades radiating upward and outward to a length of 140-180 mm. Light green flowers with a purple tinge appear in terminal panicles atop stems rising above the foliage in late spring to early summer, but inflorescences are not very showy. Flowers give way to puffy wheat like seed heads.
Cultivation[]
In cultivation it can reach a height of 140-180 mm (inflorescences typically bring total clump height to 200-250 mm). It does best in well drained soil as plants will not grow well in wet soils. Tolerates dry and low nutrient soils. Plant in a full sun for best foliage colour. Will also grow in lightly shaded position. Will tolerate drought, neglect and lack of nutrients but prefers regular watering. If plant has a large amount of dead leaves, prune back to 40mm from ground level. This is to be done in winter. Lift and divide clumps if needed (also to be done in winter). Division of established clumps in winter is the easiest method although, plants can be grown from seed.
Plants require frequent division as clumps tend to die out in the center and need to be divided, replanted or replaced every 2-3 years. Plant foliage may decline considerably in very hot, humid summers. Weeds often build up amongst the clumps when used as a ground cover and need to be removed by hand.
Large areas can be removed by hand or sprayed with Glyphosate herbicide.
Common Names[]
blue fescue, gray fescue, garden fescue
Requirements[]
- Prefers full sun, but will tolerate partial shade
- Prefers poor, sandy, well drained soils
Characteristics[]
- Clump grass
- Normally used for borders and edgings