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Large Blue Hair Grass

Koeleria glauca (koh-LER-ee-ah GLAW-kah)

Family: Poaceae Non-native Herbaceous (1-3 ft)

Cool-season grass; may go partially dormant in hot weather; strong bluish-green leaves; short-lived perennial. Cut back to the ground in winter to promote new growth. It forms dense round clumps. Site: Full sun, welll-drained moist to moderately dry soil. Grows best within sandy soil with litter organic matter Does not tolerate clay soil or shade. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or diseases problems. It may last only a few years in typical garden soils that are moist and fertile.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 40 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Heuchera americana Salvia nemorosa x Heucherella

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Dense; Erect; Rounded
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Blue; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Other/more complex; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Filiform
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Blue-green blades
Flower color
Gray/Silver; Green; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower detail
Tufts appear May-June, glossy light green and translucent inflorescences dry to buff color on stems 6"-12" above the leaves.
Bloom time
Summer
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Asia, Europe
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Patio; Pool/Hardscape; Slope/Bank; Small Space; Walkways
Landscape theme
Rock Garden
Design feature
Mass Planting; Small groups
Garden tags
#air pollution tolerant #drought tolerant #mass planting #silvery #showy flowers #edging #dry soils tolerant #black walnut toxicity tolerant #clumping #dense growth #small groups
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Black Walnut; Drought; Dry Soil; Pollution

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.