Poa labillardierei
Australian blue grass, New Zealand blue grass
- Height × spread
- 1m × 1m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
- Flowers
- Spring, Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This grass makes a clump of slender leaves coloured a glaucous blue or bluish green. It forms an informal billowing mound, enlivened by slender spikes of flowers in the early part of summer. These make slim panicles, dense but airy. As old heads fall away, new ones take their place, This merits a specimen position or one with enough space to appreciate its full form. Give it a sunny spot in soil that always has some moisture. It stands around 1m (3ft) high with an equivalent spread.
- Flower colour
- Brown, Pink
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Fruit colour
- Beige
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Fan
- Height
- 1m
- Spread
- 1m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer
- Flowers in
- Spring, Summer
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Gravel garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, tolerates part shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal), Poor soil
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Ground cover
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Spring - early · Planting
Prune to the ground
Cut foliage to the ground before new growth starts.
Where stems are grown for their ornamental value, old stems should be removed either before new growth starts in spring, or during winter when they begin to look ragged or untidy.
Spring - late · Planting
Divide when too large
When the plant is too large clumps may be divided into two or more pieces. Rhizomes can be cut, whilst small bulbs or offsets are detached. The new plants can be grown in a container or planted in the ground.
Spring-Autumn · Planting
Remove dead leaves
When leaves die they can carefully be detached or cut off at their base to improve the overall appearance of the plant. Be careful not to damage the main stems during this process.