Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Blue Oat Grass bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called blue oat grass, blue avena grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens).

More about blue oat grass

About Blue Oat Grass

Helictotrichon sempervirens · also called blue oat grass, blue avena grass · flowering

Helictotrichon sempervirens is an evergreen ornamental grass forming neat, spiky domes of steel-blue foliage, holding its colour year-round. Slender oat-like flower spikes rise in early summer, bleaching to straw. Drought-tolerant, deer-resistant and unfussy in full sun and sharp drainage, it is a structural, clump-forming accent that never spreads invasively or self-seeds aggressively.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons blue oat grass isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming blue oat grass traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding blue oat grass a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get blue oat grass to flower

Maximise sun. Give blue oat grass the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for blue oat grass and get the feeding right with the blue oat grass fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Blue Oat Grass flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full blue oat grass care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Blue Oat Grass blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my blue oat grass flower?

Blue Oat Grass blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make blue oat grass bloom?

Give blue oat grass the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does blue oat grass normally bloom?