'Cool as Ice' Blue Fescue (Festuca)
Perennial
- Blue foliage with a compact habit.
- Better heat tolerance than other Fescues!
- Plant in groupings for a showy effect.
- Zones 4-8, sun/part sun, 12" tall x 12" wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Details
Common name: Blue fescue
Patent: PP27651
Zone: 4 - 8
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun)
Height x width: 12" x 12"
Flower color: Light beige
Foliage color: Steel-blue
Season of interest: Spring through fall
Bloom time: Summer
Features: Space savers, rain gardens, rabbit resistant, ground covers, drought tolerant, container plants, cold tolerant, best sellers, best for beginners
Uses: Container gardening, cottage gardening, edging, ground cover, massing, ornamental
How to Grow
Light: Sun (> 6 hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun), but the best colors develop with more sun.
Water: It prefers average to dry locations and dislikes excessive moisture.
Spacing: 18 inches
Fertilizing: We don't recommend fertilizing them their first spring to promote root development. It can be fertilized subsequent years in early spring with balanced fertilizer but is generally unnecessary.
Winterizing: No specific care is needed—no need to cut back for winter.
Maintenance & pruning: "Rake out" with rake or fingers all spent foliage in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Division should be done in spring every few years to keep Festuca at its best.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
The blue fescue was small and sparse, to my surprise. I was expecting something larger based on the price. Customer service said, "We do note that all of our plants are young on each product page." So if you decide to order this, note the plant will be small.
Theses plant were awesome and arrived bigger than expected i planted them and they took off they look great Ty.
Love our Blue Fescue....plant is tough and bring color to the landscape!
I planted 2 and they are very small you can hardly see them. And one has completely died on me 2-3 months into being planted. I tried everything to keep them alive. They were expensive when I purchased & I am pretty bummed. The one that’s still alive hasn’t grown at all. Compared to all the other plants I bought this year from this company & competititors. Others have tripled in size and this is the only plant I’ve had die of 26 I planted this year from trees to perennials.
We're sorry you're having trouble with your plants. Our team of horticulture experts would love to take a closer look! Please contact us at [email protected] with your order number and photos of the plants so we can better assist you. All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
So far doing GREAT! THANK YOU
One looks beautiful and thriving, one barely surviving, 3rd dead. Disappointing.
We're sorry you're having trouble with your plants. Our team of horticulture experts would love to take a closer look! Please contact us at [email protected] with your order number and photos of the plants so we can better assist you. All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
The plants arrived in perfect condition and the blue fescue is a great addition to the garden.
When I opened and unpacked the plants, I was a bit disappointed due to how unhealthy they looked. I thought they would perk up once planted but they are not! Totally brown and struggling. Yes I'm watering them and pampering them trying to revive them, but I'm loosing hope! Disappointed since my previous order of plants is doing great.
Hello! We apologize that you received plants that are not up to our standards. While we try our best to provide exceptional service, some factors, like shipping and handling, are outside our control, and issues like this can sometimes happen. Please email pictures of the plants to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we have a 60-day guarantee on all our plants. If you received your plants within that timeframe, we would be happy to apply your warranty once we receive the pictures. Happy Gardening!
https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/our-guarantee
The plants I ordered are all doing well in my garden!
We are zone 4 Central Wisconsin. When is it recommended to plant this grass? We have sandy soil with some loam. Well drained and 6ish hours full sun.
Thank you for your question! In cooler climates, it might be a good idea to plant in spring. For more information, check out our blog post about planting in summer: https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/can-i-plant-a-garden-in-summer/
Are plants deer resistant?
This plant is not listed as deer resistant on our website. Please click here for our deer resistant plants, shrubs including grasses. https://www.greatgardenplants.com/collections/deer-resistant?page=8
Note: Deer resistant does not equal deer-proof and no plant is completely deer resistant.