Festuca 'Cool as Ice'
Festuca 'Cool as Ice' is a compact ornamental grass with fine textured foliage that emerges gray green in spring before developing a striking steely blue color. Its dense rounded form stays neat through the season and brings cool color and fine texture to sunny borders, rock gardens, and containers.
Height & Spread: 12 - 18 in x 18 - 24 in
Bloom Time: Late spring to midsummer
Light Requirements: Full sun to part shade
Soil Preference: Dry to average well drained soil
Watering Needs: Low; drought tolerant once established
Deer Resistance: Deer and rabbit resistant
Native Status
Festuca 'Cool as Ice' is a cultivated ornamental selection related to blue fescue species native to parts of Europe. It is not native to North America but is valued for its distinctive blue foliage and tolerance of dry conditions.
WILDLIFE & INSECTS
Birds
- Its mature seed heads can provide food for small seed eating birds while the dense clumps offer low cover within the garden.
Spacing & Landscape Use
Spacing Recommendations
- Space 12 - 18 in apart to create a continuous edging or allow individual clumps to remain visually distinct.
Landscape Placement
- Ideal for rock gardens, sunny borders, pathway edges, slopes, and containers where its icy blue foliage provides strong color contrast without overwhelming nearby plants.
Companion Plants
- Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote' (English Lavender) - Complements the blue foliage with fragrant purple flowers and a similarly strong preference for sunny dry conditions.
- Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' (Meadow Sage) - Adds upright purple flower spikes that contrast with the rounded form and fine texture.
- Achillea millefolium 'Moonshine' (Yarrow) - Brings bright yellow flowers and silvery foliage that create a striking contrast with the cool blue grass.
- Sedum 'Angelina' (Stonecrop) - Provides low spreading foliage and warm seasonal color around the compact fescue clumps.
- Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation' (Little Bluestem) - Adds taller grass structure and rich seasonal color behind the low blue mounds.