Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'
Blue fescue
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Supplied as an established plant in a 3 litre pot
Aspect
Full sun
Hardiness
Fully hardy
Flowers
Early summer
Soil
Loam, sand, chalk
About this plant
Vivid silver-blue tufts, year-round
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Description
Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' is a compact, tufted evergreen ornamental grass forming a neat, dense mound of fine, needle-like blades in an intense, almost metallic silver-blue, among the most vividly coloured of all the blue fescues. Slender, wiry flower stems carrying small, buff-coloured flower spikes rise just above the foliage in early summer, adding a little textural interest without detracting from the foliage, which remains the plant's primary ornamental feature throughout the year. Evergreen and drought-tolerant, it is an excellent choice for gravel gardens, rockeries, edging, and containers, where its striking colour provides year-round structure and a useful foil for other plants. -
Why we like it
Key features
What makes it special
Evergreen, year-round interest
Drought tolerant
Specs & details
The particulars
- Botanical name
- Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'
- Common name
- Blue fescue
- Supplied as
- 3 litre pot
- Flower colour
- Blue
- Eventual height
- 20–30 cm (in flower)
- Eventual spread
- 20–30 cm
- Flowering period
- Early summer
- Habit
- Compact, dense, tufted mound-forming grass
- Life cycle
- Evergreen ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy
- Aspect
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam, sand, chalk
- Moisture
- Well-drained to sharply drained
- Position
- Front of border, gravel garden, rockery, edging, patio container
- Plant spacing
- 8–10 plants per m²
- Growing skill
- Easy to grow
Plant calendar
When to plant, when it performs
Planting & care
Help it thrive
Planting guide
Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' must have sharply drained soil in full sun to perform at its best; it will not tolerate heavy, wet, or poorly drained conditions, particularly over winter, where excess moisture causes rot and loss of the characteristic foliage colour. On heavy clay soils, grow in a raised bed, gravel garden, or container with a free-draining loam-based compost mixed with generous quantities of grit, rather than attempting to plant directly into unimproved clay. Set plants at the same depth as in their pot and space around 20–25 cm apart. A top-dressing of grit or gravel around the base of the plant after planting improves drainage immediately around the crown and helps prevent the lower foliage from sitting in damp conditions.
Care tips
Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' needs very little maintenance beyond an annual grooming. In late winter or early spring, run your fingers or a small hand rake gently through the clump to remove dead or tatty foliage and the previous season's flower stems, refreshing the appearance of the mound for the new growing season. Avoid shearing the foliage hard, which can spoil the neat shape and slow regrowth; light grooming is much more effective. As the plant ages, the centre of the clump can become congested, woody, and less colourful; dividing every two to three years in spring keeps the planting looking its best and provides material for propagation. No feeding is necessary or desirable; festucas perform best on lean soils and excessive fertility produces lank, less colourful growth.
Winter care
Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' is fully hardy and requires no winter protection anywhere in the UK. The evergreen foliage persists through winter, providing useful colour and structure when much of the border has died back. In late winter or early spring, comb through the clump with your fingers or a small rake to remove dead or tatty foliage and any flower stems from the previous season, which helps keep the colour fresh and the habit tidy. Avoid cutting the foliage back hard, as this can spoil the neat mounded shape; light grooming is preferable to shearing. Divide congested or tired-looking clumps every two to three years in spring, as festucas tend to lose vigour and colour intensity in the centre of the clump as they age.