Grass Specifications
- Season: Perennial
- USDA Zones: 4 - 7
- Height: 10 inches
- Width: 8 inches
- Foliage Color: Grey-blue
- Flower Color: Grey-blue
- Growth Rate: Moderate
- Fall Color: No change
- Soil Requirement: Average to dry soils, pH 5.8 - 6.8
- Environment: Full sun
- Moisture Requirements: Average to dry
Planting Directions
- Temperature: 68F
- Average Germ Time: 2 - 3 weeks
- Light Required: Yes
- Depth: Do not cover the seeds, but tightly press into the earth
- Sowing Rate: 3 seeds per plant
- Moisture: Keep seeds moist until germination
- Plant Spacing: 12 inches
- Care & Maintenance: See: Blue Fescue
Blue Fescues (Festuca Cinerea Glauca Varna) have traditionally been viewed only as ornamental grasses, with a few spaced plants in a landscape bed. Blue fescues look beautiful in this setting or mixed with wildflowers, but with the availability of seed they can be used in many other areas where low maintenance turf is desired.
Unlike other ornamental grasses, blue fescue is well adapted to a mown turf situation, with the blue/green color developing in high stress periods. It can be used for home lawns, golf course roughs, roadsides, cemeteries, and commercial sites. The distinctive color allows it to add landscaping detail and interest.
Blue fescues are found in cemeteries, parks, and roadsides that are unirrigated, with no fertilizer and mown infrequently, if at all. The waxy leaf covering reduces transpiration so the plant can survive extended droughts and contributes to the blue/green color it develops during these stress periods. Blue fescue is one of the shortest ornamental grasses available, with the foliage not exceeding 12" in height, so mowing is only needed to remove seedheads if desired. It has good winter color and looks green during this period. Blue fescues are very shade tolerant, often found in the dry shade of trees.
