'Boulder Blue' Blue Fescue (Festuca)
Perennial
- Steel-blue foliage adds eye-catching color!
- Compact, cascading habit.
- Thrives in heat, humidity, and sun.
- Plant in groupings for a showy effect.
- Zones 4-9, sun/part sun, 12" tall x 12" wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Details
Common name: Bolder blue fescue
Zone: 4 - 9
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.
Arrived ion a very healthy state and took to being planted without any issues. They are beautiful plants and just what I needed.
I picked the plants up. They are top quality. I’m trying hard to keep the rabbits from eating them down to the ground.
I'm very much a rookie at this. My Boulder Blue Fescue was delivered in excellent condition. It looks really good where I have it planted.
Arrived in quality packaging a year ago. They've grown beautifully in a full-sun area in North Texas.
The best part? They're actually blue! Very pretty accent plants that survive high heat, drought, and multiple freezes. They are real landscape standouts!
Despite writing to customer service several times, I'm expected to wait and see for another couple weeks if this almost dead plant will come back to life. I'm very disappointed.
Hello Sarah!
I'm sorry to hear your not 100% satisfied with your new plants. It looks like we extended your warranty to give your new plants some extra time to recover. While we try our best to ensure that our plants arrive to you in perfect condition, sometimes they need a little extra TLC after shipping and will quickly recover. If they don't perk up in the next few days let us know and we'll be happy to send replacements or offer you a refund. We appreciate your feedback and your patience. Happy gardening!
Very small plant that was in good condition. We have it in our garden and we will care for it well in fall, winter and spring!
We’re sorry you’re not satisfied with your plants! On each product page and our plant sizes page, we note that all of our plants are young. The size of our plants varies depending on the time of year and whether they were recently trimmed. The most important thing when purchasing plants, online or in garden centers, is a full and robust root system, which we prioritize. Trimming only encourages stronger root development! Our fall guarantee covers plants received after September 1 until May 2026, so we have you covered. Please send your order number and pictures of your plants to [email protected] to start the claims process if necessary. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
Even though shipping was fast, I had a few plants dies during transit (it was really hot that week). I contacted the support team and they sent replacements immediately! Great service. Highly recommended
Can fast and it’s healthy and beautiful
The plants never survived. I tried very hard to keep them alive. I followed all the general instructions given and also went to nurseries help, but nothing worked. Very disappointed.
Our friendly customer service team is here to help! Just contact us at [email protected] with your order number and photos of the plants. After further investigation, we will be able to better assist you. All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
Seems like it won't survive
Hello! It is common for plants to experience slight stress from shipping, as they have not experienced their ideal growing conditions at this time. We recommend placing plants in a cool, shaded spot out of direct sunlight for 24-48 hours after unpacking them. This allows them a recovery and acclimation period before planting. If you must hold them longer, place them out of direct sunlight, wind, heat, and cold, and plant as soon as possible. Please email your order number and pictures of your plants to [email protected] to start the claims process, and we can make sure your plants are on the right track! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
'Boulder Blue' Blue Fescue (Festuca)
This seems to be a healthy plant and should grow well with my other mixed grasses and plants. was shipped on the exact date and came early.
'Boulder Blue' Blue Fescue (Festuca)
Cake healthy. Packaged very well.
Loved these Boulder Blue Fescues.
My blue fescue arrived healthy and really well packed. It is now established and starting to grow in a bed.
'Boulder Blue' Blue Fescue (Festuca)
They came quickly and were in good shape. So far they are still living, and I think starting to grow. Time will tell!
Love the condition, promptness and packaging they arrived in, Great care was taken in their shipment. All three plants are doing great! Appreciate your guarantee!
I purchased the small bluegrass and immediately planted them and am anxiously awaiting sprouting. Hopefully they will be the added color that I need in my garden.
Arrived healthy . Small but growing in my garden. Very pretty grass. Would order from you again.
Gorgeous Boulder blue fescue arrived! Healthy looking and pleased
These plants are doing great in their new environment!
Boulder blue arrived healthy and big. I can’t wait until they are taller.so pretty in my yard against the mini black mulch.
Love the color and healthy condition of this Blue Festue Grass. Can’t wait until it matures.
I planted several Blue Boulder fescue plants in March and April of this year. They look pretty much the same as when I planted them. Maybe they are "sleeping" and will perk up next year but not very optimistic. Other grasses I planted look good even in this drought and heat but not the blue fescue. Dissapointed that it's too late for a replacement.
Hello! Thank you for leaving feedback. When transplanting young plants from a nursery pot to a garden, the plant allocates more energy to root development instead of shoot development (above ground). It's important for them to develop a robust root system so they can absorb the nutrients and water in the soil around them. Then after their root system is more developed, they'll invest in their shoots and flower development. They generally spend their first year growing roots in their new home, in the second year, they have more energy to put into growth; and in the third year, they grow and flower vigorously. We hope this helps. Happy Gardening!
All three arrived in great shape and are thriving as a new addition to our back yard landscaping. Our local garden center expert was concerned the region’s clay earth, combined with abundant rainfall, would result in “wet feet”, so we planted them in raised landscaping along a retaining wall.
My plants arrived, very healthy and very well packaged. I was so impressed I placed another order and they arrived the same way. Would definitely recommend to anyone.