Blue Oat Grass
Facts About Blue Oat Grass
Blue oat grass, also known by its more scientific name Helictotrichon sempervirens, with its bushy clumps actually looks more like a small plant than the cool season grass that it really is. It’s a beautiful grass with an interesting hue that could complement any garden or landscaping project and in 2004 was chosen as one of the Great Plant Picks by the Royal Horticulture Society.
Blue oat grass is native to southwestern and central Europe. It’s a perennial grass with long leaves that are about ½ inch wide. Its tips come to a point at the end. It can grow up to 2 feet tall in the best conditions. From the center of the plant, flower plumes grow and produce pale blue blossoms. However, in the northern areas where there is a shorter growing season it might not always produce blooms. Still, even without them it’s an attractive plant.
Since it has a texture and color that many plants do not possess, it has a variety of uses when it comes to landscaping. For instance, it works well as a contrast to the perennial border. It can also be used as an accent plant as well when used in a rock garden. Some people use it as a border along a pathway or place it in front of shrubs to give an interesting contrast. It tends to work well when planted next to other ornamental grasses, too. Because it can also grow in width, you oftentimes don’t need to plant many close together since in the best conditions the clumps can spread out.
Blue oat grass should be planted in full sunlight. For its survival in the wintertime, it needs to be planted in well-drained soil. Even though it prefers moist soil, as long as it doesn’t get too wet in the winter it can also handle clay soils and sandy soils, too. In late winter, you might want to cut the leaves back to the ground.
It does not suffer from many insect problems or diseases, although crown rot can affect it if the soil becomes too moist. Having good soil that drains well can help alleviate this problem and it really only becomes an issue in the wintertime.
Blue oat grass blooms in June and later the seed heads turn into a pale wheat-like color that will last into the autumn. The stronger the sunlight is, the more vivid the blooms are more likely to be.
It won’t do very well in areas that are wet and for that reason it’s a great plant to use in New England. It really only needs to be watered deeply every 2 weeks in order to soak the root system, so it doesn’t require a lot of maintenance as long as it has a good soil base.
In the springtime, you should comb through the plant and take away the dead foliage as well as the old seed heads. This will help the grass grow more effectively. You should also apply organic fertilizer to the soil in the spring as well to help encourage new growths to form.
Because the colors are not too over-powering, blue oat grass is very complementary to other plants and flowers that can be found in gardens. Planting it next to a plant that produces reddish colors, for instance, will help bring out its pale blue blossoms. On the other hand, planting it next to a green plant that doesn’t have any blossoms will make its colors stand out as well. It is a very versatile plant and therefore can look great in almost any setting.