Blue Whiskers Blue Fescue for the Cool Seasons

Virtues: Blue Whiskers blue fescue is a cool-season ornamental grass that lends blue color and fine texture to the garden in spring, fall and through the winter. Blue Whiskers stands apart from other blue fescue varieties because it is larger and a bolder blue.

Common name: Blue Whiskers blue fescue

Botanical name:Festuca glauca ‘Blue Whiskers’

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Season: Spring, fall and winter, for foliage

Foliage: Stiff, wiry blades stand out from the center of the plant. They are an intense silvery blue in color.

Flowers: Greenish wheat-like flowers appear atop 22-inch stems in early summer, persisting through the summer and turning tawny with age.

Habit: Blue Whiskers grows 10 to 12 inches tall an 24 to 28 inches wide. It makes a rounded clump of foliage and it is considered semi-evergreen.

Origins: Blue Whiskers is a cultivar of Festuca glauca, which is native to Europe. Blue Whiskers blue fescue was introduce by Walters Gardens in 2015.

How to grow Blue Whiskers blue fescue: Site in full sun to partial shade, in poor to average soil with good drainage. Once established it can tolerate drought, but water regularly in its first year in the garden. Remove ratty foliage in early spring to make way for new growth. This is a cool-season grass, so it is at its best in spring, fall an winter. USDA Zones 4–8.

Image courtesy of Walters Gardens