Koeleria glauca

Description

Koeleria glauca – blue hair grass

Botanical name: Koeleria glauca
Common names: Blue hair grass, glaucous hair grass
Family: Poaceae (grass family)
Plant type: Semi-evergreen grass
Habit: Compact, tuft-forming
Pot size: 2–3 litre pot
Eventual size: Approx. 30cm tall × 30cm spread (to about 45–50cm in flower)
Foliage: Fine, blue-grey foliage forming a neat tuft; semi-evergreen
Flowers: Slim, buff-green flower spikes in early summer, ripening to straw (May–July)
Scent: Not scented
Aspect / light: Full sun
Soil: Sharply drained; poor, dry; tolerates chalk and lime; any pH
Hardiness: RHS H6 (hardy, to about −20°C); USDA zones 4–8
Exposure: Open, hot, dry, sunny
Native range: Species native to Europe
Toxicity / pet & child safety: Generally considered non-toxic to people and pets

Koeleria glauca, blue hair grass, forms neat tufts of fine blue-grey foliage topped by slim buff flower spikes in early summer. Compact and drought-tolerant, it is superb for gravel, rockeries and sunny edging.

GardenAdvice notes

A neat, compact grass grown for its fine blue-grey foliage and its slim early-summer flower spikes, blue hair grass is similar to blue fescue but flowers more freely and generously. It thrives in hot, dry, sharply drained, even chalky soils, and is excellent for a splash of cool blue with a longer flowering season in gravel and sunny borders.

Growing & planting

Plant in spring in sharply drained, poor soil in full sun — the blue colour and neat habit come from lean, dry, bright conditions, and it dislikes rich, wet soil. It tolerates chalk and lime well. Improve heavy ground with grit. Space about 30cm apart.

Care & maintenance

Low-maintenance. Comb out dead leaves in spring rather than cutting hard, and trim off faded flower spikes. Like blue fescue it is fairly short-lived, so lift and divide, or replace, every few years to keep it fresh. Avoid rich feeding and wet soil.

Propagation

• Division: Lift and divide clumps in spring.
• Seed: Sow seed in spring, though named forms are best from division.

Pests & diseases

Generally trouble-free. Its main enemy is winter wet, which causes rot. Sharp drainage and occasional division keep it healthy and long-lived.

Uses in the garden

Superb in gravel and Mediterranean-style gardens, rockeries, sunny edging and the front of well-drained borders, and good in containers, planted in groups for a blue haze.

Wildlife value

The early flower spikes offer some value to insects, and the tufts give ground-level cover.

Toxicity & safety

Blue hair grass is generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets.

GardenAdvice tip

Blue hair grass is a lovely alternative to blue fescue if you want more flower — it throws up masses of slim buff spikes in early summer over the same cool blue foliage. Like the fescues it wants poor, dry, sharply drained soil in full sun for the best colour, and benefits from dividing every few years, as it’s naturally short-lived.

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