Blue Oat Grass, Helictotrichon sempervirens, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Grasses of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Height	Prime Season
	Blue Oatgrass	Helictotrichon sempervirens (Vill.) Pilg.	Poaceae (Grasses)	Upland	12 - 24"	Evergreen, flowers in June
	Native Status	Blue Oatgrass is a non-native grass that is native to the southwestern Alps region of Europe. It was imported into the United States as an ornamental grass and a number of cultivars have been developed in the nursery trade. It is not known to be growing outside of cultivated gardens.
Notes	Blue Oatgrass forms a mound of spiky, silvery blue foliage that resemble a miniature water fountain. It is a cool season grass, preferring drier well drained sites. It will flower in Minnesota in early June as these photos from the Garden indicate, once the plant is established, it gets full sun, and is not over-watered. The grass remains semi-evergreen during the winter in a cool climate like Minnesota. Because of it's evergreen characteristic, Blue Oatgrass is not trimmed back in the spring, or otherwise new growth is severely affected. Old dead leaves are simply combed out by hand. The clump of coarse wiry leaves will reach to about 24" high on a good specimen. Rising above the foliage in early June on flowering stems that can reach two feet above the foliage are the wispy oats-like seed heads that turn a straw-color when mature. The species of Helictotrichon are considered a "neutral grass" - that is they look like grasses but having evergreen characteristics, don't act like grasses.


Above and top left: Clumps of Blue Oatgrass in the fall after seed production is past. Photos ©Phoebe Waugh.	Above: The oats-like flowering stem of Blue Oatgrass. Below: Clumps of Blue Oat Grass in the Upland Garden in flower in early June 2009. Photos ©Gary Bebeau

Notes: Blue Oatgrass was introduced to the Upland Garden in 2006 when a new planting area was established where an old oak, that had succumbed to Oak Wilt, was removed.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 28c, W2, W3, W5 & W6. Distribution principally from W2 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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