Blue oat grass is spiky, spunky and blue — characteristics that invite comparisons to blue fescue.
From afar, its large clumps and projected flowers are commanding and regal, but up close they bend and sway in a soft way, with long blue-gray blades radiating out from the center.
A cool-season grass, blue oat grass thrives in mild temperatures but produces its strongest color in full sun. A towering crown of bluish-brown flowers projects about a foot above the foliage in summer, aging to a golden oat color in fall. And while the flowers create a spectacular show in summer, the pretty foliage is welcome in the garden all year.