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Grass Like

Festuca glauca minima

smallest blue fescue

Forms compact, evergreen cushions of foliage about 10cm across, with densely-tufted, very fine, needle-like spiky, silvery blue-green leaves. Produces upright flower stems with violet-tinged, silvery blue-green flowers in spikelets during early summer, that turn pale golden-brown in autumn

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Ultimate height

Up to 10cm

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0–0.1 metre

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Drought resistance

Yes

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Poaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Tufted
Genus: Festuca can be herbaceous or evergreen, rhizomatous grasses with linear, often strikingly coloured, leaves, and dense or lax panicles of brownish flowers in summer
Name status: Unresolved

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in poor to moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Clumps tend to die out in the middle, so ideally divide every three years. See ornamental grasses cultivation advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame in spring or by division in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Gravel garden
Mediterranean climate plants
Patio and container plants
Rock garden
Low Maintenance
Flower borders and beds
Garden edging
Ground cover
Underplanting of roses and shrubs

Pruning

Tidy up in spring by combing any dead foliage out of the middle of plant

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

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