Sesleria caerulea

Blue Moor Grass Poaceae

A tough little European grass with a distinctly alpine temperament and an almost metallic elegance. Sesleria caerulea forms compact, evergreen tussocks of narrow, blue-green leaves, above which appear short, dense flower spikes in spring and early summer, initially dark purplish-green before fading to silvery-grey. Its native distribution is remarkably broad, extending across northern, central, eastern and southeastern Europe, from Sweden, Finland and the Baltic States south through Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy to Bulgaria and Romania, and eastwards into European Russia. It is particularly characteristic of sunny limestone and dolomite grasslands, rocky slopes and montane habitats, although it also occurs in some calcareous fens and woodland communities. Tough, evergreen and admirably drought tolerant once established, it is superb in gravel gardens, alpine planting and dry, sunny borders.

 Give it sun and well-drained, preferably neutral to alkaline soil and it will quietly get on with the job while flashier grasses are still deciding what they want to be. 

Origin: Europe — widespread from Scandinavia and the Baltic through Central Europe to the Balkans and eastern Europe.
Flowering: April -June
Hardiness: H7, below −20°C
Height: 20–35 cm
Spread: 30–45 cm