Festuca 'Elijah Blue' is a compact clumping ornamental grass prized for its silvery blue foliage that holds color throughout the growing season. With a tidy dome like shape, it adds strong contrast and cool tones to sunny borders and rock gardens.
Height & Spread: 8 - 12 in x 12 - 15 in
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil Preference: Well drained, sandy or gravelly soils; dislikes heavy clay
Watering Needs: Low; prefers dry conditions once established
Deer Resistance: Highly deer resistant
Native Status
This cultivar is derived from a species native to Europe. Widely used in ornamental dry gardens and formal plantings.
WILDLIFE & INSECTS
Beneficial Insects
- Provides cover for predatory ground beetles and shelter for overwintering beneficial insects in gravel beds and borders.
Spacing & Landscape Use
Spacing Recommendations
- Space 12 - 15 in apart to allow mounded forms to maintain shape and airflow.
Landscape Placement
- Excellent in dry rock gardens, Mediterranean style beds, gravel paths, and modern designs where structure and color are desired. Also suitable for containers.
Companion Plants
- Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender) - Shares drought tolerance and gray green hues in dry borders.
- Thymus pseudolanuginosus (Woolly Thyme) - Provides a low carpet around blue fescue for layered texture and drought resilience.
- Gaillardia aristata (Blanket Flower) - Offers vivid blooms and a rugged, sunny garden presence beside Festuca.
- Salvia nemorosa 'May Night' - Offers bold purple flowers and vertical form that contrasts with Festuca’s rounded tufts.
- Achillea millefolium 'Moonshine' - Adds soft yellow blooms and similar foliage tones in waterwise plantings.