Helictotrichon sempervirens
syn. Avena sempervirens
Blue Oat Grass, Blue Oatgrass
Blue Oat Grass, Blue Oatgrass
Type Annual, perennial, grass
Height 18" to 30" / 45cm to 75cm
Spread 12" to 30" / 30cm to 75cm
Growth rate Slow
Form Rounded
Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun
Persistence Deciduous and evergreen
Height 18" to 30" / 45cm to 75cm
Spread 12" to 30" / 30cm to 75cm
Growth rate Slow
Form Rounded
Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun
Persistence Deciduous and evergreen
Bloom Color Brown
Bloom Time Summer
The flowers are showy.
Bloom Time Summer
The flowers are showy.
Environment
This plant tolerates some drought.
This plant will grow in moist soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to slightly alkaline (less than 6.8 to 7.7) soil.
This plant tolerates some drought.
This plant will grow in moist soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to slightly alkaline (less than 6.8 to 7.7) soil.
Leaf Color Blue, green and silvery
Fall Color Brown and copper
This plant has attractive foliage and attractive fall colors.
Fall Color Brown and copper
This plant has attractive foliage and attractive fall colors.
Culture Notes
Blue Oat Grass is attractive as a single accent plant in a very small garden, or it can be massed in groups for a beautiful, fine-textured drift. Blue Oat Grass prefers a full sun exposure, but will tolerate light shade. It prefers a moist soil that is well-drained; however it will tolerate sandy as well as heavy clay soils as long as water does not sit on the soil surface. If planted in heavy clay soil, this grass is prone to root rot.
Plant about 2 feet apart to form a solid mass of fine-textured foliage or in groups in front of a shrub border or in a row along a walk.
Blue Oat Grass has attractive thin gray-green, or blue leaves. Leaf blades grow to about 12 inches long, are 1/2 inch wide and taper to a fine point. Plants grow 18 to 30 inches tall. The glaucous foliage provides a welcomed contrast to a green border. Beige terminal panicles are produced in June through August, maturing to a light brown by the fall when they break apart and fall from the plant. Attractive, light brown, fall foliage color persists throughout the winter.
No more than yearly fertilization is needed to keep plants healthy, and they should last for many years.
Blue Oat Grass is attractive as a single accent plant in a very small garden, or it can be massed in groups for a beautiful, fine-textured drift. Blue Oat Grass prefers a full sun exposure, but will tolerate light shade. It prefers a moist soil that is well-drained; however it will tolerate sandy as well as heavy clay soils as long as water does not sit on the soil surface. If planted in heavy clay soil, this grass is prone to root rot.
Plant about 2 feet apart to form a solid mass of fine-textured foliage or in groups in front of a shrub border or in a row along a walk.
Blue Oat Grass has attractive thin gray-green, or blue leaves. Leaf blades grow to about 12 inches long, are 1/2 inch wide and taper to a fine point. Plants grow 18 to 30 inches tall. The glaucous foliage provides a welcomed contrast to a green border. Beige terminal panicles are produced in June through August, maturing to a light brown by the fall when they break apart and fall from the plant. Attractive, light brown, fall foliage color persists throughout the winter.
No more than yearly fertilization is needed to keep plants healthy, and they should last for many years.
