Ornamental Grasses - Learn About Blue Fescue Growing Tips

Place blue fescue grass in clusters along a border as a bright accent to other perennials. The grass is also an attractive foil for wide, leafy plants and provides contrasting texture. Wherever you decide to put the plant, it must have well-drained moist soil in a full sun position for best growth.

1. Should you cut back blue fescue?
2. How do you look after blue fescue?
3. What grows well with blue fescue?
4. How do you grow blue fescue grass seed?
5. Does fescue come back every year?
6. Can you divide blue fescue grass?
7. How often should I water blue fescue?
8. Why is my blue fescue dying?
9. How fast does blue fescue grow?
10. Is blue fescue poisonous to dogs?
11. Does Elijah Blue fescue spread?
12. Can blue fescue grow in shade?
13. Is blue fescue easy to grow from seed?
14. How do you look after Festuca glauca intense blue?
15. Do rabbits eat blue fescue grass?
16. What month is best to put grass seed down?
17. Does fescue grass spread on its own?
18. How long does tall fescue take to establish?
19. How long does fescue grass live?
20. How do you prune Elijah Blue fescue?

Should you cut back blue fescue?

In climates where blue fescue is evergreen, you don't need to cut them back in the spring. Everywhere else, the plants should be sheared back to a few inches from the ground to allow plenty of room for fresh new foliage to grow. Blue fescue can be a fairly short-lived perennial.

How do you look after blue fescue?

Care is very easy and blue fescue doesn't require any care at all, except perhaps for watering during sweltering heat and in the first few weeks after planting. Adaptive to soil types with a great diversity of compositions, blue fescue is hardy and fears practically no disease at all.

What grows well with blue fescue?

Blue daze or evolvulus (Evolvulus glomeratus) and blue-flowering edging or dwarf lobelia (Lobelia erinus) can be planted with blue fescue to complement its blue-gray foliage. They both grow in full sun or partial shade and require fast-draining soil.

How do you grow blue fescue grass seed?

For indoor sowing, use small peat pots or containers, fill with seed starting mix, and press 3 ornamental grass seeds into the soil. Lightly cover the grass seeds and keep them moist until germination. For outdoors sowing, weed and loosen the soil and add a generous amount of seed starting mix to the soil.

Does fescue come back every year?

Fescue is a cool-season grass; that means it grows best in the spring and fall when temperatures are cooler, and it struggles during the heat of summer. Under the right conditions, fescue is green year-round, but it can go dormant (brown) during severe heat and drought.

Can you divide blue fescue grass?

The blue fescue plants die out in the middle, and you should divide the plants every two to three years to keep the grass clump growing. ... Divide the plant into smaller clumps by cutting the root sections apart with a sharp knife. Cut the division so there are at least two to three grass stems with each section.

How often should I water blue fescue?

Water as needed to keep the soil evenly moist but not saturated until the plant displays new growth, indicating that the grass has rooted. Thereafter, allow the soil to dry slightly between each watering, providing about 1 1/2 inch of water per week.

Why is my blue fescue dying?

Caring for blue fescue ornamental grass isn't difficult. Blue fescue grass needs average moisture, and will require supplemental water in summer. The plant may die back if the soils are too heavy and full of clay, so amend the area prior to planting with plenty of compost.

How fast does blue fescue grow?

Growing Blue Fescue Ornamental Grass Seeds

Sow ornamental grass seed in cell packs or flats, press into soil but do not cover. Needs light to germinate. Kept at 65-75° F., germination is in 7-35 days, depending on the variety.

Is blue fescue poisonous to dogs?

Also to know is, is blue fescue toxic to dogs? ... Switchgrass and tall fescue are less likely to be poisonous to dogs, cats or humans than to horses or cattle, but eating either of them might cause stomach upset.

Does Elijah Blue fescue spread?

Elijah Blue Fescue will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 8 years. This plant does best in full sun to partial shade.

Can blue fescue grow in shade?

Blue fescue grows best in full sun, preferring moist, well-drained soil but is tolerant of a wide range of conditions. The blue color will not develop as well in partial shade, however. It can be short-lived in wet soils and in areas with high humidity and temperatures.

Is blue fescue easy to grow from seed?

Festuca glauca germinates easily from seed sown in spring, but the plants will be variable. Take a small clump of seedlings and put them all in a one-litre pot of gritty compost. They will form a bushy plant and be ready to go into the garden in summer.

How do you look after Festuca glauca intense blue?

Festuca glauca Intense Blue ('Casblue') (PBR)

Garden care: Comb through the plant with your fingers in winter to remove dead foliage. Container-grown specimens should be watered well when they are establishing. Plants may need replacing every few years as they may become tatty-looking.

Do rabbits eat blue fescue grass?

Rabbits will eat Blue Fescue and some others. We can avoid planting what deer or rabbits prefer to eat, but their favourites might already be growing in your garden.

What month is best to put grass seed down?

Several distinct advantages make fall the best time to plant cool-season grass seed. In early autumn, the soil is still warm from months of summer sun. This combination of warm soil, moderate day temperatures and cool evenings encourages fast germination and establishment of newly sown cool-season grass seed.

Does fescue grass spread on its own?

It does produce short rhizomes, but its spreading capacity is limited. It naturally grows in clumps and spreads primarily through “tillers" — vertical shoots that grow from the base of the grass plant itself, rather than from horizontal stems.

How long does tall fescue take to establish?

A typical tall fescue seeding rate is 5 to 6 pounds of seed per 1000 square feet. Germination normally occurs within 7 to 21 days under suitable moisture and soil temperatures conditions.

How long does fescue grass live?

It is the rhizomes from the bluegrass that hold the sod together and keep it from falling apart. Overseeding is important with tall fescue. A blade of grass only lives an average of 40 days before it dies.

How do you prune Elijah Blue fescue?

Cut back the foliage in early spring to within a few inches of the ground. This will help make room for the new grass blades and will improve the look of the plant. Gardeners in warm climates may experience a different problem with blue fescue.