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A mature Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) growing in a residential garden bedFoliage

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Blue Oat Grass

Helictotrichon sempervirens

Blue Oat Grass 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

Freeze survival

Will it survive your winters?

We score Blue Oat Grass’s freeze-trouble range against the real coldest nights your area has recorded.

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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