Blue oat grass

Questions about blue oat grass

Does blue oat grass need sun or shade?

Blue oat grass grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).

It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does blue oat 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 oat grass flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early June to early July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

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 oat grass be planted?

24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (75 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 2½ ft (75 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many blue oat grass plants do I need?

At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

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

In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.

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

Is blue oat 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 oat grass?

Blue oat grass comes from Southeast France to Italy. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Prairie dropseed: the same size and the same colour; a drift, not a specimen, flowers mid August to mid September.
• Blue grama 'Blonde Ambition': the same size; a drift, not a specimen, flowers mid July to mid October.
• Autumn sage: the same size; a drift, not a specimen, flowers mid May to mid October.

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 oat 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 oat grass?

Blue oat grass is over by early July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Russian sage: from mid July to mid September, 4 ft tall (a recorded partner).
• Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
• Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.

What does blue oat grass look like in winter?

Blue oat grass holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.