Plant of the Month – May
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Blue Fescue
Festuca glauca
Blue Fescue’s mounded, bluish clumps work great in containers, rock gardens, massed in borders, or paired with succulents.
- Plant Form: Ornamental grass
- Water Use: Low
- Mature Size: 6 – 12″ tall & wide
- Exposure: Full Sun, Part Shade
- Bloom Time: Summer (June – July)
- Native to: Europe
- Hardiness: Cold hardy to < 0°F
Blue Fescue forms a mounded clump of needle-like, bluish foliage year-round in warm climates. Insignificant pale green flowers rise above the foliage in summer, which some people enjoy, but others remove to retain its “tufted” look. Unlike some of its turfgrass cousins, it tolerates drought, heat, sun, and poor soils. One cultivar that performs especially well in our desert is “Elijah Blue”, which forms a neat, 8-inch mound of silvery-blue foliage. While classified as short-lived, you can rejuvenate Blue Fescue every few years by dividing it in spring. It works great in containers, rock gardens, massed in a foreground border or in the front rows of flower beds, paired with succulents, or tucked into a stacked stone wall. Blue Fescue’s bluish-gray color beautifully complements plants with silvery foliage, and its fine texture contrasts nicely with plants with course textures.
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