Blue moor grass

Questions about blue moor grass

Does blue moor grass need sun or shade?

Blue moor grass grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).

It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does blue moor grass grow in?

USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).

Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does blue moor grass flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers mid April to mid May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should blue moor grass be planted?

12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.

It grows 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many blue moor grass plants do I need?

At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).

In the bed above, the planner used five in one group.

Is blue moor grass poisonous to dogs and cats?

No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.

"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.

Is there a native plant like blue moor grass?

Blue moor grass comes from Europe and British Isles. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Alpine aster: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers mid May to late June, medium leaves, not fine.
• Sea thrift: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early May to mid June, pink or white, not purple.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat blue moor grass?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

What flowers after blue moor grass?

Blue moor grass is over by mid May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Creeping thyme: from early June to mid July, 3 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
• Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch': from mid May to late June, 8 in tall (a recorded partner).
• Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.

What does blue moor grass look like in winter?

Blue moor grass keeps its blue-green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.