FoliageBlue Oat Grass
Helictotrichon sempervirens
Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) is a slow-growing perennial, hardy in USDA zones 4-8, that matures to about 2-3 ft × 2-2.5 ft. It does best in full sun with low water needs in well-drained and occasionally-dry soil. Expect blue and brown blooms in summer. It stands up well to black walnut, deer and drought.
- USDA zones
- 4-8
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Low
- Mature size
- 2-3 ft × 2-2.5 ft
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
- Soil
- Well-drained, Occasionally-dry
- Bloom color
- Blue, Brown
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Tough against
- Black walnut, Deer, Drought, Dry soil, Pollution
- Native to
- France, Italy
In the landscape
Data sources
Freeze survival
Will it survive your winters?
Hardiness zones show a normal bad winter. We check the worst one — Blue Oat Grass is hardy to about -30°F (estimated from USDA zone 4), so we'll score it against the real coldest nights your area has actually had.
Powered by ~35 years of daily lows from the nearest NOAA weather station. A risk read, not a guarantee — a sheltered spot or mature plant beats the odds.
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