Monrovia : Learn

Graceful fountains of colorful bright blue-gray blades form neat ornamental clumps that combine well with other grasses. Beige to light brown terminal panicles appear June through August.  Reliable and attractive accent, specimen, perfect for rock gardens. Evergreen. Full sun. Moderate grower to 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. Division.

Performance and Requirements

Light needs: Full sun

Watering Needs: Needs regular watering - weekly, or more often in extreme heat.

Pruning Time: Late winter or early spring

Growth Rate: Moderate Growing

Growth Habit: Clumping

Design Information

Companion Plants

GOODWIN CREEK GRAY LAVENDER
Lavandula dentata 'Goodwin Creek Gray'

AZURE BUSH GERMANDER
Teucrium fruticans 'Azureum'

MAJESTIC BEAUTY^® FRUITLESS OLIVE
Olea europaea 'Monher' P.P.# 5649

BLUE SPRUCE STONECROP
Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce' (S. rupestre)

ROYAL BURGUNDY^® BARBERRY
Berberis thunbergii 'Gentry' P.P.# 9461

ROYAL PURPLE SMOKE TREE
Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'

DARK HORSE WEIGELA
Weigela florida 'Dark Horse' P.P.# 14381

BLACK-EYED MAGENTA CRANESBILL
Geranium cinereum var. subcaulescens

CHICAGO APACHE DAYLILY
Hemerocallis x 'Chicago Apache'

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Companion Plants (Description): Combine with other blue-gray foliage plants from the Mediterranean like Lavender, Bush Germander, Olive and Stonecrop for a waterwise garden. Contrasts well with the purple leaf foliage of Barberry, Smoke Bush and Weigela, and red or magenta bloomers like Daylily and Geranium.

Design Styles: Blue Oat Grass is at home in desert gardens as well as in the traditional perennial border. Plant beside landscape boulders, in rock gardens or at the edges of natural pools. Particularly beautiful planted in masses and paired with blue-gray Mediterranean plants.

Care Information

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. For a neat appearance, remove old foliage before new leaves emerge. Divide clumps every 2 to 3 years in early spring.

Background Information

History: Native to Central and Southwestern Europe, the name Helictotrichon comes from the Greek words helix meaning spiral and trichos meaning hair.

Botanical Pronunciation: hel-ik-toh-TREE-kon sem-per-VI-renz

Catalog Description: Graceful fountains of colorful bright blue-gray blades form neat ornamental clumps that combine well with other grasses. Beige to light brown terminal panicles appear June through August.  Reliable and attractive accent, specimen, perfect for rock gardens. Evergreen. Full sun. Moderate grower to 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. Division.