Festuca 'Beyond Blue' is a striking ornamental grass prized for its intense powder blue foliage that maintains vivid color even in summer heat. With a tidy clumping habit and fine spiky blades, it creates a cool toned accent that contrasts beautifully with warm colored perennials. This low maintenance grass is evergreen in mild climates and ideal for rock gardens, borders, and container plantings.
Height & Spread: 9 - 12 in x 12 - 18 in
Bloom Time: Early to mid summer
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil Preference: Well drained, moderately fertile to lean soil
Watering Needs: Low once established; avoid excess moisture
Deer Resistance: Rarely browsed due to its fine textured and fibrous foliage
Native Status
Festuca 'Beyond Blue' is a cultivar derived from European fescue species. It is not native to North America but is widely used in ornamental landscaping.
WILDLIFE & INSECTS
Birds
- Seed heads provide late season food for small birds like finches and juncos while the foliage offers cover and shelter for ground feeding species.
Beneficial Insects
- Supports predatory beetles and ground spiders by offering protected microhabitats near the soil surface.
Spacing & Landscape Use
Spacing Recommendations:
- Plant 12 - 18 in apart to maintain distinct clumps and visual spacing between plants.
Landscape Placement:
- Ideal for edging, gravel beds, rock gardens, and mass plantings where its cool color can break up warmer palettes or highlight silver themed compositions.
Companion Plants
- Thymus serpyllum (Creeping Thyme) - Low mat forming herb that fills spaces between fescue clumps and softens edges with summer blooms.
- Gaillardia aristata 'Arizona Sun' - Its hot red and yellow blooms offer vibrant contrast to the blue tones of Festuca.
- Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote' - Deep purple flower spikes complement the cool blue foliage while thriving in similar dry conditions.
- Achillea millefolium 'Moonshine' - Soft yellow flowers and silvery foliage pair well with the fine texture of fescue.
- Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb' - Golden yellow flowers echo the sunlit highlights and brighten low growing compositions.