How to divide blue fescue (Festuca glauca)

Blue fescue (Festuca glauca) is one of our favorite ornamental grasses for landscape design. It gives a plenty of color and shape to sunny gardens. In this article we show how to divide them. Also, don’t miss our Blue fescue (Festuca glauca) plant guide.
How to plant?
The way to please blue fescues is to give them plenty of sunlight and a well drained soil, almost sandy.
They will need water in the first year, but when established Festuca glauca is very drought tolerant and a perfect plant for low maintenance gardens.
We prefer to plant them in groups of odd numbers, creating a scene that resembles the blue water in a paradise beach. Combine them with rocks and you’ll create a perfect match and a delightful effect.
Over time, blue fescue plants tend to die in the middle so it is necessary to divide them to produce new clumps.
How to divide blue fescue?
We usually divide them in two to three years intervals to keep them growing. We do this in Winter. Have you noticed in this article pictures the greenish (and not so blue) leaves? It is normal in this time of the year, as they miss the sunlight from longer summer days.
In this guide we will divide a potted Festuca glauca into smaller plants to show how to proceed. The method is the same as if you dig up the clumps from the ground, just make sure to dig wide enough to get the entire root ball of the plant.

The plant to be divided
When you have the plant, use a knife or a similar tool do cut root sections, it will be easier than separate them with your fingers.
Cut the divisions to get little plants having 4 to 5 stems. Do it gently otherwise you may separate the stems from the roots. If you do it with the hands, always work in the roots and do not pull the stems.

Divide the clump into smaller pieces
Plant the divisions in the new location, in this case we are creating several pots of blue fescues. Each plant is generating 10 to 12 new plants, and we could divide them more.

Plant each new division