Common name: Blue Fescue
Family: Poaceae, Grass
Height x width: 6-10" x 8" clump; gigantea and californica 3-6' x 2-3'
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: very fine and thin, evergreen, varying degrees of blue with cultivar; some with thick leaves or green; forming tufts or clumps
Flowers: terminal, slender panicles
Hardiness: zones 4-8 (tolerate heat and humidty)
Soil: well-drained, will tolerate dry and infertile; viviparia prefers moist as at watersides
Light: sun; gigantea will tolerate part shade
Pests and Problems: rots from too wet soil
Landscape habit, uses: borders, most effective massed, edges to beds and walks, salt tolerant
Other interest: native to Europe; from the Latin festuca for stalk or stem; related to arid fescue cultivars of elatior and lawn fescues of rubra
Other culture: often clumps tend to die out in part or become lop-sided; correct by dividing off dead part and replanting living
Propagation: spring division or seed
Species:
Those marked * in the tables below are most common in U.S. commerce.
| Species | height | foliage | other |
| amethystina | 12" | variable with cultivars | |
| cinerea | 12" | bluish | often confused with glauca |
| filiformis | 6" | green, thin | groundcover, Fine-leaved F. |
| gautieri | 4" | green | groundcover, Bear Skin F. |
| gigantea | 3-6' | blue, wide | massive, Giant Fescue |
| *glauca | 8" | blue, green | Blue Fescue, most ornamental |
| mairei | 2' | bright green | Maires Fescue |
| *ovina | 20" | green | Sheep's Fescue |
| scoparia:gauteri | |||
| valesiaca | 4-18" | green |
Cultivars:
| Cultivar | species | height | foliage |
| 'Aprilgrun' ('April Green') | amethystina | 8" | olive green |
| 'Azurit' | glauca | 1' | silver blue |
| 'Blaufink' ('Blue Finch') | glauca | 10" | soft blue |
| *'Blaufuchs' ('Blue Fox') | glauca | 1' | blue |
| 'Blauglut' ('Blue Glow') | glauca | 10" | electric blue |
| 'Blausilber' ('Blue Silver') | glauca | 8" | blue, bristly |
| 'Bronzglanz' ('Bronze Luster') | amethystina | 1' | bronze tinted |
| 'Daeumling' ('Tom Thumb') | glauca | 4" | blue |
| *'Elijah Blue' | glauca | 8" | blue, popular |
| 'Fruehlingsblau' ('Spring Blue') | glauca | 6" | light blue |
| 'Harz' | glauca | 10" | olive green |
| 'Klose' | amethystina | 8" | olive green |
| 'Meerblau' ('Sea Blue') | glauca | 8" | blue-green, vigorous |
| 'Palatinat' | glauca | 8" | powder blue |
| 'Pic Carlit' | gautieri | 2-3" | green |
| *'Seeigel' ('Sea Urchin') | glauca | 8" | blue-green |
| 'Silberreiher' ('Silver Egret') | glauca | 6" | silvery blue |
| 'Silver Lining' | glauca | 8" | silvery steel blue |
| 'Soehrewald' | glauca | 8" | bluish olive green |
| 'Solling' | glauca | 8" | light blue, no flowers |
| 'Superba' | amethystina | 10" | best blue, amethyst scape |
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