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Blue Oat Grass, Ornamental Oats

Helictotrichon sempervirens Blue Oat Grass Blue Oat Grass looks like a really large grey fescue.  The Blue Oat Grass will typically grow to a foot or more in height.  Tan flowering spikes extend a few inches beyond the foliage in the Spring.    Helictotrichon sempervirens is evergreen near the coast.  Where temperatures dip into the teens Helictotrichon sempervirens plants will look a little tattered and will look their best if cut back close to the base at the end of the season.  Helictotrichon sempervirens grows in full sun or light shade.  Blue Oat Grass is tolerant of dry conditions but prefers regular water.    Height: 24-36"    Width: 24-36"    Zone: 4-8 Zone Map    Exposure: Full Sun    Landscape Uses: Border,       Rock Garden, Massed    Blooms: Summer    Grown in: 2.5" pot    Cannot ship to: HI/PR    Ships: Mid-Late May 2008 Buy 3 or more & Save! $6.99

More Information

Also known as Avena sempervirens, Blue Oat Grass is an perennial, ornamental grass that has attractive thin gray-green, or blue leaves. Leaf blades grow to about 12 inches long and 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.

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 a water does not sit on the sol surface. Helictotrichon wants a sunny spot, well drained fertile soil. If planted in heavy clay soil, this grass is prone to root rot. No more than yearly fertilization is needed to keep plants healthy. Propagate by division.

They are often planted about 2 feet apart so they form a solid mass of fine-textured foliage. Blue Oat Grass looks nice in a rock garden planted by itself, or more commonly in groups in front of a shrub border or in a row along a walk. They should last for many years with little care.

Propagation Time: Spring

Propagation Method: Division, Seeds

Root Form: Fibrous

Soil Condition: Sandy, Loamy, Clay, Well drained, Slightly alkaline, Neutral ph, Acidic

Environmental: Tolerates moderate drought