Growing and caring for fescue gray in the garden. Gray fescue: planting and care in the open field, cultivation and reproduction
Festuca - quivering cereal
Fescue is one of the most popular cereals. Amazing textures of gray-green narrow leaves in dense sods and tussocks bring unique textures and effects to the design of flower beds, rabatok, rock gardens. And during flowering, these unusual cereals with symmetrical round sods turn into graceful and weightless drops. Constantly in motion, showing off the shades and tints of the nuances of "metallic" colors, fescue has long been the darling of modern landscape design.
Spreading
Charming fescue, which today are most often perceived as purely ornamental plants, are widespread in nature. They grow not only in temperate, cold and subtropical climates, but also in the highlands of the tropics. Among these grasses there are both mesophytes and xerophytes, which can be found in steppes, meadows and forests almost throughout the globe. Fescues belong to the Cereal family (Poaceae). The name of fescue - festuca - has been unchanged since ancient Roman times, and its true meaning has been lost.
Description
Representatives of the fescue genus (Festuca) are herbaceous perennials with a medium-sized, but dense, sometimes creeping rhizome. Fescue is traditionally classified as a compact ornamental grass. small size, but among them there are also much higher species suitable for the role of soloists, and plants suitable for creating lawns. The height of plants ranges from a modest 10-20 cm to almost 150 cm. Most often, fescue forms dense, dense, rounded tussocks, but there are also looser species. Even in the thickest fescue, curtains are not perceived as massive, they stand out for their graphic texture and beautiful leaf pattern.
Fescue leaves seem thin, but, if you look closely, they are quite diverse: in most decorative species, they are narrow, folded lengthwise to save water evaporation (up to a round cut), they seem to be thorny or needle-shaped, but there are also highly decorative species with fairly wide lanceolate leaves up to 1.5 cm wide. An obligatory feature of fescue greenery is hairiness or roughness, which is well felt when stroking the turf with your hand.
All fescue, with rare exceptions, bloom in June. Inflorescences give the plant airiness, they are weightless, rare, shining in the sun. Slightly sprawling panicle inflorescences from 4 to almost 20 cm long consist of medium-sized spikelets with not so small flowers with keeled spikelet scales and veins, a sharp top, a sinuous or straight awn and long stamens, thanks to which the inflorescences are constantly in motion. The stems of the peduncles are thin and straight, usually almost twice as long as the leaves. The fruit is a small grain.
Growing and planting conditions
Illumination and landing site
Fescues are hardy, highly adaptable grasses that can make do with even the most modest conditions. But in order to reveal their beauty and all the nuances of color, it is necessary to satisfy their two main requirements - to choose the brightest possible lighting and dry areas.
Any fescue, regardless of size, type and even color, needs the brightest light possible. These cereals adore sunny areas, even in diffused lighting they partially change the color of the leaves, and in partial shade they most often lose their decorative effect and the ability to bloom profusely, not to mention the blue or metallic shades of green that appear only in the sun. It is worth paying attention to the fact that fescue is not afraid of wind and drafts, it develops better on hot sites, in warm places. For them, it is desirable to choose south-oriented locations (even on an alpine hill).
The soil
It is also very easy to pick up soil for growing fescue: any dry place with loose soil will suit them. Fescue cannot stand dampness; when planting in moist soils, it is necessary to lay high-quality drainage at the bottom of the planting pits, which completely eliminates the risk of water stagnation both in autumn and in spring, during the snowmelt. Light, loose, loose, air- and water-permeable soils are ideal for fescue. These cereals do not need nutrient soil: they grow well not in "average", but in poor soil with a minimum content of nutrients and organic fertilizers. Fescues adore rocky, sandy soil, perform well on slopes, in terraced gardens, on supporting walls. It is not necessary to improve the soil before planting, except in dense or damp places.
Landing
Fescue is planted in simple individual pits, dug according to the size of the rhizome of the seedling. Planting does not cause any difficulties: it is enough to make sure that the plant is located at the same depth at which it grew before. After planting, watering is carried out, but in the future the fescue will not need it.
Care
Fescue is one of the most undemanding representatives of cereals. Due to their high drought resistance, they do not need watering even in the hottest months, do not dry out in drought and retain their decorative effect even in the most unfortunate summer. They do not need additional feeding and other regular care. In fact, all the care a fescue needs comes down to a few procedures:
- removal of dry leaves from bushes in the spring;
- cutting panicles after flowering (pruning of fescue is carried out not “under the root”, but at the level of the leaves, several panicles can be left to collect seeds or self-seeding).
All fescue, without exception, have only one drawback, and a significant one: these cereals need frequent rejuvenation. Turf already from the second or third year of life in gray fescue, and most other species, grow and degenerate, their center begins to dry. And without rejuvenation, separation and transplantation, fescue quickly lose their decorative effect. The procedure for separating fescue is best done every 2-3 years, without waiting for the violation of decorativeness, planning it in the calendar for the spring. Plants are simply dug up, divided into 2-3 parts with a shovel or a sharp knife, removing dry patches of sod, and transferred to new places.
Fescue wintering
Without exception, all fescue are hardy frost-resistant crops that do well in cold climates. Even when freezing in unsuccessful winters, fescue quickly recovers, this does not affect the decorativeness of plants. Subject to the selection of conditions suitable for fescue and protection from waterlogging, the choice of plants adapted to your climate, fescue does not need any shelter or other measures.
reproduction
Fescue can be propagated by seeds, sowing them in open soil on the beds or in a permanent place before winter and spring (the seedlings are not thinned, the fescue is not afraid of density, but the plants are transplanted as they grow up - the formation of a strong bunch of full-fledged leaves). Young plants need light watering in drought. Of course, it is possible to grow varietal fescue through seedlings, sowing seeds in March in a sandy-earth substrate (diving and growing - according to the standard technique). But it is much easier to use the natural talents of fescue: these cereals give abundant self-seeding, which can be used as ready-made seedlings, simply by letting the young fescue grow stronger, and then transplanting them to permanent places.
Vegetative propagation methods are much more popular and simple. Since this cereal needs frequent rejuvenation, it is possible to get new specimens almost every year. Fescues are divided in early spring, digging up the plant, removing the dry center of the curtains and leaving small divisions with a powerful bunch of roots. It is better not to divide the fescue too finely, because large parts will quickly reach full decorativeness. The classic version is no more than 3 divisions.
If you need to get big number planting material, then the method of dividing the mother bushes is used. To do this, adult and strong fescue bushes are transplanted in the middle of autumn or before the first frosts in pots and left to winter in a bright, dry and cold place (temperature about 3-5 degrees Celsius). Separation is carried out in February, planting small delenki with several points of growth in large containers or boxes. So the plants grow until the moment when the threat of return frosts completely disappears, and then they are transferred to permanent place.
Types and varieties of fescue
The genus Festuca includes, according to various sources, from 300 to 600 species of cereals, most of which are valuable fodder, hay plants. Fescue is one of the three main grasses for lawns (red and meadow fescue). Number of ornamental plants actively used in landscape design, today include about 20 species of fescue.
Gray fescue (Festuca glauca) → 
The most famous representative of the genus. This is a magnificent medium-sized cereal, with beauty of texture and symmetry that no competitor can compete with. It is considered a modern plant, a favorite of any ceremonial compositions. Gray-bluish leaves form a lush, symmetrical semicircular sod with a height of 30 cm. The leaves are linear, very narrow. Despite the fact that the sod is very dense, it seems translucent, the leaves diverge radially from the center, evenly distributed throughout the "sphere". The texture is metallic, very effective, graphic, the dove-gray fescue looks almost flawless. Inflorescences give the plant even more airiness. Soft, pleasant to the touch panicles of a grayish-green color seem to enclose the fescue sod in a light shining halo, visually seem to be a continuation of the leaves. Gray fescue is able to bring revival to any composition and allows you to play with even the most daring color and texture combinations. The manifestation of the blue color directly depends on the weather (for the blue effect you need a sunny summer), as well as the plant variety. Today you can find a huge number of varieties with different metallic - steel, silver, platinum, gold - effects and varieties with different shades grey, green and blue. To the number the best varieties belong to: "Azurit", "Blausilber", "Blaufuchs", "Blauglut", "Daeumling", "Meerblau", "Soiling", "Silberreiher", "Blaufink", "Fruhlingsblau", "Seeigel" and others. In the seed market, gray fescue is represented by the varieties "Blue tussock" (pictured), "Ilaya Blue", "Lazurit", "Blue".
Undersized
The best undersized fescue (height - up to 30 cm) belong to:
← Glacial fescue (Festuca glacialis)
One of the smallest and densest fescue. It is limited to a height of 30 cm, but usually the leaf cushion is much lower, and only flowering stems reach such a height. It develops in the form of a hemispherical dense cushion with a dark blue color of narrow flat leaves. Inflorescences in the form of a fairly dense complex ear seem massive.
Panicled fescue (Festuca gautieri) →
Low perennial, forming a very dense turf up to 10 cm high, consisting of graceful, bright green, thin leaves. Outwardly, it creates such a dense pillow that it seems artificial or fur. The turf of this fescue is constantly growing, forming a dense covering-thickets. The panicles are several times higher than the curtain and rise to an amazing height, very branched and almost imperceptibly transparent, seem at a distance to be a haze over dense greenery.
← Thread-like fescue (Festuca filiformis)
Another amazingly elegant look. Despite the loose structure and some randomness, it is recognized as one of the most picturesque cereals for rock gardens. Leaves up to 15 cm long create a sprawling "bundle" - a small but very beautiful turf, the density of which is difficult to assess due to the fact that some of the leaves practically lie on the ground. The shade is rich green, the texture is very pleasant to the touch. Peduncles are twice as long as curtains, rise 30 cm and are crowned with a loose light pearl panicle, which looks like a shining jewelry.
← Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina)
A type of fescue with almost bristle-like greenery, forming separate small dense hemisphere hummocks. The leaves are sinuous, thin, very hard, up to 10 cm long. Panicles are not quite ordinary: drooping complex spikelets with a semi-loose texture look like light green spikelets from afar. One of the fescues that can survive even heavy trampling and low mowing. This species has many varieties with different leaf colors and even different bush heights.
Fine-leaved fescue (Festuca capillata) →
Forms tiny tussocks, similar to round dense pillows with furry, narrow and short leaves, above which rise silvery, huge branched panicles, which seem too large for such a compact plant. The inflorescences of this beauty adorn the garden from the beginning of summer until the end of the season, thanks to which the fine-leaved fescue seems to be one of the most elegant decorations of rocky gardens.
medium height
The best medium-sized varieties of fescue with a height of 30 to 60 cm belong to:
← Amethyst fescue (Festuca amethystina)- one of the largest blue fescue, forming a round-symmetrical evergreen turf-hummock up to 50 cm high, gradually growing in width up to 1 meter in diameter. The leaves are rigid, needle-shaped, round in section due to the fold along the central vein. The texture of the leaves is much more pleasant to the touch than that of the gray fescue. The color of the leaves, depending on the composition of the soil, ranges from blue to gray and bluish, sometimes greenish. Peduncles are very tall, thin, bear purple-violet-light green panicles with a very loose texture, which seem to surround the plant with a weightless lacy cloud. In addition to the basic form, there are decorative varieties:
- "Aprilgreen" with a rich green color and blue peduncles;
- "Bronzeglanz" with a slight bronze coating on panicles of inflorescences;
- "Klose" - olive-green undersized variety;
- 'Superba' - a silver-blue variety with golden panicles on purple shoots.
Pale fescue (Festuca pallens) →
in comfortable conditions, it does not look pale at all: its leaves easily change color from rich dark green to almost white-gray. This grass forms a dense turf about 40 cm high, which has a unique ability to lie down in one direction (when placed in the crevices of stones and on the supporting walls, the entire turf hangs down like a long fur), the leaves are bristle-like, no more than 1 mm in diameter, rough, inflorescences up to 8 cm long, loose and graceful.
Valisian fescue (Festuca valesiaca) →
The popular nickname - fescue - is a very elegant species that forms a strikingly dense and narrow, symmetrical turf about 40 cm high, gradually growing and creating a continuous cover. The curtain flaunts with bluish-green, seemingly dull, very thin needle-shaped leaves that always remain vertical, do not bend. Panicles are pale and delicately lace.
Mayeri's fescue (Festuca mairei)- one of the most impeccable outwardly fescue, which creates amazingly symmetrical, thick and at the same time airy curtains. The sod of this fescue, about 70 cm high, seems almost spherical due to the graceful arcuate bend of the stiff leaves. The gray-green color is more interesting due to the glossy surface of the rounded, needle-shaped, very long and stiff leaves. Panicles are stunningly graceful, large-spreading, weightless.
Siberian fescue (Festuca sibirica) →
a very elegant look that creates a multi-level effect in flower beds. Dense turf in the form of a rounded tussock with leaves about 30-40 cm long looks very graceful due to the light green color of rather wide, up to 8 cm leaves, slightly curving in the turf in the direction from the center of the bush. Above the curtain rises a translucent canopy of numerous tall peduncles crowned with slightly spreading light panicles. The inflorescences seem to form a translucent “second level” exactly repeating the lines of the sod, which gives new spatial depth to the compositions.
Tall
To the best large species fescue belong to:
Highest fescue (Festuca altissima) →
powerful and looser than most fescue species, forming a somewhat sloppy, "wild" curtain of flat narrow leaves, randomly lodging under the wind (which creates the illusion of some neglect). Height ranges from 70 to 100 cm. Flower-bearing shoots, unlike leaves, are very hard and straight, bear wide-spreading panicles with rough golden-colored branches. The plant blooms only in the early morning, it seems radiant.
← Giant fescue (Festula gigantea)
powerful bushy plant up to 150 cm high, forming a dense compact turf. The leaves are quite narrow, beautifully bent under the wind, spikelet inflorescences create a weightless pillow over the plant, as if consisting of hundreds of shiny drops that are constantly in motion.
Mountain or forest fescue (festuca drymeja) →
a high view with almost a meter long, fairly wide, flat linear leaves, which, due to sufficient flexibility, arcuately bend down at the ends and create a kind of curly curtain. The color of this fescue is rich, bright, the panicles are more massive than those of other species.
Use in garden design
Fescue is one of the most beloved types of ornamental cereals by modern designers. Combining versatility, hardiness, fast growth with textural talents, fescues stand out from other plants and brethren with their airy lightness, and graphicness, and trepidation. Among the decorative talents of fescue are:
- metallic effects;
- gray and blue color, contrasting not only with classical plants, but also with other cereals;
- unique graphic texture;
- airiness, visual lightness;
- excellent compatibility with any companions;
- the ability not to get lost in the company of flowering plants;
- the same effectiveness as the main and as a background plant.
As soloists, single plants use only high varieties, low and medium ones are planted:
- in borders and for decoration tracks
;
- in patterned and carpet flower beds and mixborders
;
- in lush flower beds
as a partner or textural background for large plants;
- in the foreground of flowering compositions to play with the textures of classic decorative foliage crops; 
- in classic discounts and mixborders;
- on the alpine slides and rockeries
;
- in the design of dry streams, dry walls;
- in the heather garden;
- in flowerbeds filled with rocky soil and decorative mulch;
- for decorating lawns;
- in landscape arrays and "wild" ensembles
;
- in containers and pots, portable flower beds, stone flower beds, flower beds on the terrace.
Fescue goes well with most garden perennials. Their beauty is most favorably revealed by crops with large leaves, expressive textures, as well as classic landscape herbaceous favorites - geykhera , garden geraniums, cuff, hosta, veronica, skolka , bells, Byzantine Chistets , thyme, sage. They also contrast with all ornamental grasses - from miscanthus and molinya to millet, penisetum, hakonehloa, sesleria, sedge, foxtail, lagurus, etc.
Description: perennial plants 20-140 cm tall, with or without creeping rhizomes. Leaf blades from fairly wide linear to very narrow, folded lengthwise. Panicles usually slightly spreading, 4-20 cm long; spikelets 0.5-1.5 cm long, with (2) 3-7 (10) flowers; lower lemmas lanceolate or lanceolate-ovate, 0.3-0.7 cm long, glabrous or short-haired, with 5 usually slightly visible veins, rounded on the back (without a keel), sharp at the apex, often with a straight spine.
Over 150 species of this genus, both mesophilic plants of meadows and forests, and xerophilic species very characteristic of the steppes, are distributed in almost all extratropical zones of the globe, as well as in the highlands of the tropical zone.
Genus Festucacovers many types of different appearance. A number of species are used as lawn plants. F. amethystina L., F. cinerea Vill., F. glauca Lam., F. glacialis Mieg. are also cultivated in the rock gardens of Western Europe. Some low species often form cushions, such as F. scoparia.Bushy tall species can be used as solitary plants, for example,F. gigantea(L.)vill., growing up to 150cm in height. Inflorescence - an ear with one or more flowers. The fruit is a grain. Pollinated, as a rule, by the wind, to which their flowers are also adapted. Long stamens rise from the anthers, and the slightest breath of wind can shake them.
  Amethyst fescue- Festuca amethistina Motherland - mountains Central Europe and Transcaucasia. Big blue fescue. Forms a good rounded tussock with flowers up to 60 cm high. The leaf is round in cross section, needle-like, the texture of the leaves is pleasant. An evergreen plant with leaves that range in color from blue-green to intense blue-gray. It blooms beautifully in June, the flowers rise high above the leaves on thin stems. Flower panicles are greenish-violet. It forms dense cushions, which by the age of ten can form a curtain with a diameter of up to 1 m. It grows well on poor, light, sandy, breathable soils, it does not tolerate only stagnant water. They plant it necessarily in a sunny place - a rocky hill, a lawn. In the shade and also nutrient soil all her beauty is gone. The more sun, the better the island grows. amethyst, acquires an intense blue color. Adult specimens can occupy an area of 50 cm2, when planting, this should be taken into account and planted in groups of 3-5 plants at an appropriate distance. The flowers are small, in straight straw-yellow panicles, not very decorative, so I recommend cutting them off so that the plant does not deplete in vain. To obtain seeds, you can leave a few panicles on the largest beautiful curtain. In cold winters, the leaves may freeze, but recover quickly enough. 4 zone. Used in gardens as regular blue fescue. Good as an accent in the foreground. Propagated by seeds. "Aprilgrun"(syn. "Aprilgreen"). Green leaves; amethyst-colored stems. |
 Valisian fescue (Tipchak)- Festuca valesiaca One of the most characteristic steppe plants central Russia. In chernozem regions, it is distributed everywhere, to the north - on dry manes of flood meadows. Densely soddy perennial, leaves are bluish-green from a wax coating. Stems thin up to 40 cm tall. Leaf blades 0.3-0.6 mm in diameter, sticking vertically upwards, much shorter than the stem, rough on the outside. Blooms in May-June. He likes sunny dry places and humus-sandy soils, he is more calm about excessive moisture than gray fescue. In one place it can grow for a long time, up to 5 years. Easily divided in spring and autumn, propagated by seeds. It can be used in the garden as a ground cover, goes well with many plants, in particular roses, unobtrusively emphasizing their beauty. Photo of Zheltovskaya Tatiana |
 Fescue highest- Festuca altissima All.
Synonyms (lat): Poa sylvatica Poll., Festuca sylvatica (Poll.) Vill. Europe, Siberia, Caucasus, Kazakhstan Altai, Zap. Asia. It rarely occurs on the plains and mainly in the uplands and adjacent areas (Ccidcarpathia, Volyn-Podolsk, Smolensk-Moscow and Central Russian uplands, Yuryevskoe opole). Isolated localities of the species located on the plains are considered relict from the time of the post-glacial climatic optimum. It grows on brown forest, gray forest and sod-podzolic soils. Blossoms in the morning, from 4 to 7 hours (according to observations in the Cis-Urals). Plants are monoecious. Shoots are extravaginal, at the base with leathery scaly leaves. Vagina almost to the base split, rough. The leaf blades are flat, ribbed above. Panicles are short-spreading, with many spikelets strongly rough branches. Spikelet scales b.m. leathery, similar in texture to the lower lemmas, the latter without a keel, awnless. The lower lemmas are 5-6 mm long, rough along the back along the entire surface, with 3 veins. Anthers 2.5-3.5 mm long. Ovary densely hairy at apex. Caryopses at the base stick together with lemmas, grooved on the ventral side, with a long linear seed scar. Photo EDSR |
 Fescue Mayeri- Festuca Maieri It grows in the Atlas Mountains at an altitude of 2300 m. This fescue is well known thanks to the German naturalist Karl Forster. Forms a beautiful neat mound of flat gray-green leaves 60-80 cm high. Very thin graceful flower panicles appear in June. Cold-growing, like all fescue, tolerates high temperatures and soaking more easily than others. It grows slowly, but the grown bump is durable. Fully evergreen in mild climates. The accumulated old foliage is combed out with a rake in the spring. Prefers full sun, propagated by division in spring or by seed. 5 zone. Photo Severyakova Elena |
 Panicled fescue- Festuca scoparia Kerner and hack(F.crinumursi short. non ram) = F. gautieri Origin: Pyrenees.
The plant is evergreen, but sometimes after winter most of the leaves die off, then they must be cut off early in the spring and they will quickly grow back, because they begin to grow at a fairly low temperatures. Decorativeness is restored quickly. "Pic Carlit"- see photo on the right, plant height 7-8 cm. The variety is ideal for rockeries. Zone 4 Photo on the left EDSR.
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  filiform fescue- Festuca filiformis, syn. F. tenuifolia It grows on acidic, sandy soils in Western and Central Europe, in the British Isles. Forms a tussock of the correct form with sharply protruding leaves growing in a dense bunch. The leaves are green, very pleasant texture, about 15 cm long. Blooms in June, peduncles up to 30 cm tall. Grows easily in well-drained soils in full sun or light shade. Grows early. Propagated by seeds or division. 4 zone. Good for creating contrast with blue-leaved fescue. Pictured on the left is Festuca filiformis" Grunling". Photo left Severyakova Elena
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 Sheep fescue- Festuca ovina Natural habitat - Western Europe, the north of the European part of Russia, Ukraine, the Volga region, Western Siberia.
It has varieties with different heights of bushes and leaf color. Pictured is Festuca ovina "Vivipara". photo left Stepanova Lyudmila
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Loosely soddy plant; stems thin, triangular above. The leaves are bristle-shaped, long, sinuous, thin. Panicle oblong, rather loose, with deviated branches, often drooping. Spikelets are light green. Can be used for borders on large flower beds, paths, near the water. An indispensable lawn plant for dry and nutrient-poor soils, as well as sandy soils. When fertilizing the latter, it forms a dense lawn. Powerful   Siberian fescue- Festuca sibirica Hackel ex Boiss
Synonyms (lat): Poa albida Turkish. ex Trin, Leucopoa sibirica Griseb., L. albida (Turcz. ex Trin.) Krivot., L. kreczetoviczii K. Sobol., Festuca sichotensis var. brevipaniculata Krivot., F. albida (Turcz. ex Trin.) Malysch. Siberia, Mongolia, Manchuria. On stony slopes, rocks, screes and pebbles, sometimes on sands; to the upper mountain belt. Plants are dioecious, densely soddy, with intravaginal renewal of shoots. Shoots at the base with light gray or brownish sheaths of dead leaves, partly disintegrating into fibers. Tongues of stem leaves 0.2-0.8 mm long. The vaginas are split almost to the base. Panicles slightly spreading, with b. m. rough twigs. Spikelet glumes are almost entirely membranous, differing markedly in texture and usually in color from the lower lemmas. The latter are evenly covered with spines along the back, with 3 strong and 2 weaker veins, pointed at the apex. Ovary densely hairy at apex. Caryopses are free, grooved on the ventral side, with a long linear seed scar. Photo left Terry Irina
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| gray fescue-
Festuca cinerea = F. glauca Homeland: grows in Eastern and Central Europe, the Baltic states, Western Ukraine, the Urals and the Caucasus.
low perennial grass with blue-grey leaves. Forms a semicircular lush bush 30-60 cm high. The leaf is narrow, linear, from gray-green to steel-blue. Inflorescences are grey-green, in soft panicles on a straight stem, becoming light brown after flowering. Blooms in June - July. They plant it in dry places or in heather thickets so that it silver color brought revival to the composition of the site. The species is thermophilic, prefers sandy-humus, permeable, well-drained soils and sunny places. Removes lime in the soil. After 3-4 years, the plant should be divided. For a more intense leaf color, it is recommended to replant every 2 years. In cold years does not give a bright color. Often used as a ground cover, it is necessary to keep all plants in the same form and looking good which is quite difficult. Individual plants can die off in the center or even fall out after two to four years of cultivation in one place, especially if it was a hot summer or there was a lot of moisture in winter, so you should always have a stock of planting material to replace specimens that have lost their decorative effect. Excellent ground cover or alpine plant in dry and poor soils.
Has a large number of varieties. Varieties of gray fescue differ from each other in color, sometimes quite slightly. Some varieties are more blue, others more silver. They also differ in height. Some cultivar names are given synonyms, as the plants are brought from different countries, and the same plant can be sold under different names. Varieties: " Azurite", "Blausilber", "Silberreiher"- blue-silver leaves. " Blaufuchs", "Blaufink", "Blauglut", "Fruhlingsblau"- silver-blue leaves. " Daeumling"- compact variety, height 15 cm. " meerblau"- leaves the color of sea water. " Seeigel"- the leaves are blue-green. " Soiling- leaves are silver-gray. |
Festuca hybr."Azurite"Location: develop most successfully in a sunny, warm or hot, dry place. Young individuals are cold-resistant, but in the second or third year of life, individual specimens grow and begin to die from the center of the turf.
The soil:
Moderately dry to dry, well loosened, low in humus and nutrients. Does not tolerate wet areas so good drainage is essential.
 Festuca silica Photo EDSR. |
 Festuca dalmatica Photo EDSR. |
 Festuca pseudodalmatica Photo EDSR. |
Care: in the spring, clear the bush of the remaining foliage. Cut off the panicles after flowering. Some ornamental species, such as gray fescue, can die off after 2-4 years of cultivation in one place, so it is recommended to divide and replant their bushes every 1-2 years. Some forms may have low frost resistance, so when purchasing planting material, try to choose plants grown in climatic conditions similar to yours.
Reproduction: division in the spring. The following method is also used: from autumn until the onset of frost, mother plants are planted in pots 7 cm in diameter and cleaned in a cold greenhouse.
Application: fescue is still one of the most widely used ornamental grasses in landscaping in Russia. It is planted in flower beds, borders, borders, mixborders. Gray fescue is perhaps the only ornamental grass widely used to create carpet flower beds. It can also be planted in arrays near the lawn, shrubs, as well as with flowering summers - in containers and baskets. Gray fescue and Gauthier fescue are often grown in rock gardens and rockeries.
Partners: bells, felt bells, spikelet veronica. Fescue is planted in the form of a border or array next to low plants, such as geyhers, hosts, lungworts, cuffs, tradescantia, etc., or next to large solitary plants, such as molina, miscanthus, volzhanka, creating a bluish-silver background, on which large-sized ones will look even more impressive.
Perennial plant 20 cm-1.4 m in height. Leaf blades of fescue are from wide linear to narrow. Panicles slightly spreading; spikelets 1.5 cm long, with flowers; lower scales lanceolate, shortly hairy or glabrous, with inconspicuous veins, rounded on the back, sharp at the apex.
More than 150 species of the Fescue genus, both mesophilic plants of forests and meadows, and xerophilic species typical of the steppes, common in almost all non-tropical zones of our planet.
Species and varieties
This genus includes many species of different appearance. Some types of fescue are used as a lawn plant.
The mountains of Transcaucasia and Central Europe are considered to be their homeland.
Large blue fescue. Forms a rounded tussock with flowers 60 cm tall. The leaf of this fescue is needle-like, round in section, the texture of the foliage is pleasant.
Amethyst fescue is an evergreen perennial with foliage that ranges from bluish-green to blue-grey.
Amethyst fescue blooms in June, its flowers rise high above the foliage on thin stems. Flower panicles are green-violet. The bush forms dense cushions, which can form a curtain up to 1 m in diameter by 10 years.
Amethyst fescue grows well on light, poor, sandy soils, does not tolerate stagnant water. It must be planted in a sunny location - on a rocky hill, on a lawn. In the shadows, all beauty is lost.
The more sun it gets, the better it grows. The flowers are small, in straw-colored panicles, not decorative, it is recommended to cut them to exhaust the plant.
For seeds, you can leave a couple of panicles on a large curtain. In severe winters, the foliage of amethyst fescue can freeze out, but quickly recovers.
Glacial fescue
This fescue comes from the Pyrenees.
Plant 30 cm tall. Creates hemispherical, bluish cushions near the glacier zone. Used in rock gardens. In severe winters, it freezes slightly, but it recovers well. Glacial fescue reproduces by division and seeds.
Low perennial plant (together with spikelets up to 15 cm tall). Panicled fescue has light green graceful foliage up to 8 cm tall. It blooms at the end of June. Over time, it creates large cushion-like thickets. Grows well in a sunny location, but also suitable for shady places. Propagated by division of large specimens in spring or autumn.
Panicled fescue is an evergreen plant, but sometimes after winter most of the leaves die off, then they must be cut in early spring and grow back quickly. The decorativeness of panicled fescue is quickly restored.
The natural habitat is the European part of Russia, Western Europe, the Volga region, as well as Siberia.
Loose soddy plant; thin stems, triangular at the top. The foliage is bristle-shaped, long, thin, winding. Panicles oblong, loose, often drooping. Spikelets of sheep's fescue are light green.
It is used for borders, for paths, near water.
Sheep fescue is an indispensable lawn plant for poor and dry soils. Its root system penetrates deep into the ground. Tolerates trampling and mowing 3.5 cm. Grows well under pine trees.
Gray fescue grows in Central Europe, Ukraine, the Baltic states, the Caucasus, and also the Urals.
Perennial herb with bluish-gray foliage. Forms a lush semicircular bush up to 60 cm tall. The leaf is linear, narrow, from grayish-green to blue.
The inflorescences of this fescue are gray-green, in panicles, after flowering they are light brown. Gray fescue blooms in June. This fescue is planted in dry places so that the silver color brings revival to the garden composition.
Heat-loving species, prefers permeable, sandy-humus, drained soils, as well as sunny places. Divide after 4 years. For intense coloring of the foliage, it is recommended to replant every 2 years.
It is often used as a groundcover, and it is necessary to keep all specimens in good shape, which is very difficult. Some may die off or fall out after a couple of years of growing in one place, so you should always have a stock of planting material in order to replace non-decorative specimens.
Gray fescue has a huge number of varieties. They differ in color, sometimes quite slightly. Some varieties are bluer, while others are more silvery. They also differ in their height.
Fescue location
Grows best in a warm, dry place. Young specimens are cold-resistant, but in the third year of life they grow and die from the center of the turf.
soil for fescue
Prefers dry, loosened, low nutrient content. The plant does not tolerate wet soil, so good drainage is needed.
Fescue Care
In the spring, it is necessary to clean the bush from lagging leaves. Cut the panicles after flowering. Some forms of fescue may not be hardy, so when buying planting material, choose plants that have been grown under conditions similar to yours.
Fescue breeding
In the spring, dividing the bush.
The use of fescue
Today, fescue in Russia is one of the most common cereals in landscaping. She is planted in flower beds, in borders, mixborders, borders.
Gray fescue is probably the only ornamental grass used to form carpet flower beds. It can also be planted in arrays near shrubs, lawns, as well as with flowering letniki - in baskets. Often, gray fescue is grown in rock gardens.
Fescue Partners
Felt Yaskolka, bells, spikelet veronica.
Fescues are planted in the form of an array next to low plants, for example, hostas, geyhera, cuffs, lungwort, tradescantia, or next to large tapeworm plants, for example, miscanthus, volzhanki, creating a bluish-silver background, against such a background, large-sized plants will look more impressive .
Gray fescue is widely used as a decorative element in the garden. Due to its unusual color, this plant has another name - blue bush.
Description
Fescue is a cereal perennial grass with about 300 species. It grows mainly in the temperate and subtropical climate zone. The homeland of the plant is the Caucasus, the Baltic states, the countries of Central Europe. The most popular among gardeners is gray fescue, planting and caring for which are not particularly difficult. This "humble" representative of the flora helps to give the garden a wonderfully beautiful look.
Small bushes of this plant, whose height varies from 25 to 40 cm, are covered with evergreen narrow leaves. Their color can be different - from gray to deep blue. In June, flowers appear in the form of spikelets-panicles, which at first have a blue-green color and, gradually fading, become almost brown. The seeds that form at the site of the inflorescences are very small - up to 700 pieces can be counted in 1 gram. With the onset of cold weather, the color of fescue becomes paler.
Growing conditions
Gray fescue prefers places that are dry, warm and well lit by the sun. But it also tolerates partial shade well. The most suitable soils for this plant will be sandy-humus, loose, breathable and well-drained, with little nutrient content. When choosing a landing site, damp areas where stagnant water is possible should be avoided.
Fescue grows best in warm weather. The optimum temperature for it is from 19 to 27⁰С. Fescue tolerates dry and hot days very well. Young plants have higher frost resistance; with age, the ability to withstand colds decreases significantly.
reproduction
You can grow fescue in different ways - by seeds, dividing a bush or seedlings. After flowering, the largest spikelets are harvested and, after drying, the seeds are removed from them. They can be immediately sown in the ground already late autumn or in the spring when warmer weather sets in. So that in the future the gray fescue looks like a beautiful and fluffy bump, the seeds are sown in nests.
For seedling method you will need small boxes filled with a light substrate. In them, seeds are sown directly on the surface of the soil, without sprinkling, then watered, covered with glass or film and placed in warm place well lit by the sun. After about a few days, the first shoots appear.
So that the seedlings do not stretch too much, as soon as the seeds sprout, the box is placed in a cooler place. When two leaves are formed on seedlings, they are placed in separate pots. By May, strong seedlings will be ready for planting in open ground if the seeds are sown no later than mid-March.
Gray fescue can successfully reproduce by dividing the bush. This is done in the fall or spring when the plant reaches two years of age.
Landing and care
Sowing seeds in open ground is the easiest way to grow fescue. To do this, 5-8 seeds are immediately placed in a planting hole no larger than 5 cm. The pits are located at a distance of 10 cm from each other, making about five nests in this way, each of which is sprinkled soil mixture and watered. After 2-3 weeks shoots already appear, which after 6 months turn into a lush bump.
A completely unpretentious plant is gray fescue. Planting and caring for it in the future are quite simple. The main thing is not to get involved in watering. It should be carried out as needed so that the soil is not too wet or dry.
Care mainly consists in pruning the dried parts of the plant. It is recommended to divide the bush every 2 years and transplant to ensure more lush flowering.
Advantages and disadvantages
Gray fescue is of great importance as a garden decoration. Growing it is quite simple, even a novice grower can do it. This is a very hardy plant that can withstand high air temperatures, which makes it much easier to care for. In addition, fescue is undemanding to soils and tolerates the presence of lime in them well.
The disadvantages include poor frost resistance, the inability to grow this plant in shaded and damp areas. Periodic division of the bush for the purpose of renewal, which is required for a plant such as gray fescue, makes caring for large plantings more laborious.
Varieties
There are several varieties of this plant, which differ slightly from each other in color and height. For example, Azurit, Blausilber, Silberreiher have a silver-blue leaf color, and the Meerblau variety is distinguished by a shade of sea water. Among flower growers, Festuca cinerea is the most popular, which forms a rather large lush bush up to 60 cm in size, covered with blue-green narrow leaves.
Application in landscape design
In gardens, fescue is used primarily as a groundcover. Most of all, it is suitable for planting in compositions, where it is a background or addition. Despite the fact that it is an evergreen grass, in spring it cannot always please with its appearance. Individual bushes may turn yellow during a frosty winter, and this leads to a loss of decorativeness of the area where gray fescue grows. To replace the withered parts of the plant, you always have to have a stock of planting material in such a case.
Fescue looks great next to more delicate horticultural crops such as violet and echinacea, when the composition is based on a fusion of orange, gray and purple hues. Interesting options can be found using honeysuckle, sea buckthorn or wormwood along with fescue.
AT garden design this plant is versatile. You can use it to beautifully decorate borders, rockeries, alpine slides.
Fescue looks very original against the background of boulders or gravel dumping. It goes well with such perennials as lungwort, cuff, Carpathian bell. Beautiful, bluish-blue fescue balls, reminiscent of a sea urchin with their needle plumage, therefore, they are sure to make you pay attention to yourself.
Decorative blue fescue is perfect for those gardeners who prefer plants unusual species. She interested them with her magnificent spherical shape and narrow needle-shaped leaves of a bluish hue, which even in winter do not lose their attractiveness.
How to use blue fescue
Blue fescue in adulthood is a spherical hummock up to 35-40 cm high. Fescue is grown mainly to decorate ridges, mixborders and rock gardens. The spherical blue fescue looks very impressive on even lawns with low shrubs, near small artificial reservoirs and around large single plantings. Thanks to its beautifully colored foliage, fescue is used in city parks to create spectacular flower beds and mosaic panels.
If you decide to plant a blue one in your garden, you need to find an appropriate place for it, following the rules for planting ornamental plants. The largest, most dynamic plants with bright colors and large leaves are planted first. In front of them, undersized plants are planted, introducing into the overall compositional picture in small groups or alone. They give way big plants in height and expressiveness, but they bring a special charm and completeness to the overall composition. So blue fescue will serve as a great addition to the overall picture of the garden.
What care does blue fescue require?
Fescue is not spoiled by the conditions of detention, but grows well in warm areas with abundant sunlight. If the plant does not have enough sun, the leaves will turn into a normal green color, and blue fescue will lose its natural decorative appearance. Fescue begins to bloom in June and blooms until the end of the season, releasing long gray-green peduncles-ears with a lilac tint.
Gardeners try to get rid of them in time, as the plant spends a lot of energy on their growth.
Fescue prefers light, breathable, nutrient-poor, and well-drained soil. Well suited areas with sandy soils. Most likely, this is due to its mountain-alpine origin.
Fescue do not tolerate drying out or waterlogging of the soil, but prefer moderate. In damp areas, part of the fescue bushes rots and dies, and after 2-3 years the plant dies completely.
Fescue at the age of 3 years begins to be divided and seated. This must be done every 2 years. So the plant will have leaves larger and with a more saturated color.
Blue fescue tolerates winter satisfactorily and can winter without special shelter. During severe frosts some leaves of the plant may freeze, but in the spring and summer they quickly recover. In early spring, the plant is cleared with a special rare-toothed rake and rid of frozen and dry leaves.
Fescue blue rack to. During the entire period of active growth, she may never get sick. This quality also attracts gardeners.
Methods for breeding blue fescue
Fescue can be propagated in many ways: seed, seedlings and division of the bush.
Blue fescue seeds are easy to purchase at the store, or you can collect them yourself from an adult plant. When flowering, fescue forms panicle inflorescences. The largest and most beautiful of them must be left for seed ripening. After the plants have faded, the spikelets are carefully collected, dried and the seeds are removed from them.
Fescue can be propagated by seeds, sowing them directly into the ground in May Days when warm weather sets in or in late autumn before winter. Sow seeds in nests, placing them at a distance of 18-20 cm from each other. The seeds are lightly sprinkled and moistened. Growing together in the nest, they eventually form a spherical fluffy tussock.
You can grow fescueby planting seeds in small boxes. For this better fit light substrate. Seeds are sown on the surface of the soil and do not sprinkle. They themselves grow into the ground with sharp tips. Crops are watered with settled water, covered with transparent glass and placed in a warm sunny place.
After the seeds have sprouted, the seedling box is rearranged in a bright but cooler place to avoid stretching and exhaustion of the sprouts. When the seedlings grow up, and the plant has two leaves, you can transplant into separate pots for indoor plants, and in May planted in a permanent place in the garden.
If you sow seeds for seedlings in mid-March, then with sufficient watering in May there will already be strong and friendly seedlings, which can be safely planted in the ground in a permanent place.
With the help of ornamental grasses, such as blue fescue, you can create a variety of compositions in the garden. And it is also perfectly preserved in a dried form and is used to make original winter bouquets.
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