Poa labillardieri

Poa labillardieri is a large oceanic species with a gently wild and infinitely light appearance. It bears a tuft of fine green-blue foliage with a slightly flared habit. From spring to summer, slender inflorescences tinged with purple and delicately silvered rise from the foliage, dancing in the wind and playing with the light. It is a beautiful, flexible, and natural 'herb', whose delicate flowers will dominate the foliage without obscuring the view. Within reach of all gardeners, it is extremely adaptable. This evergreen plant is never invasive. It undoubtedly deserves to be planted more often, as it grows and flowers even in shade or dry soil.

Poa labillardieri is an herbaceous perennial belonging to the Poaceae family, like many grasses. The dry but open wooded areas of southeastern Australia and New Zealand are the cradles of this amazing ubiquitous species. This plant has a thick and turf-like stump. It grows in tufts of very fine, soft, glaucous to green-blue leaves. Shorter and less blue in shade, it will be taller and steel blue when exposed to the sun. As an adult, the plant will measure 80cm (32in) to 1m (3ft) in height, and 50 to 60cm (20 to 24in) in width. The foliage is evergreen. Its narrow and structured leaves, with an upright and slightly arched habit, can reach 90cm (35in), and take on a more golden hue in winter. In early spring, this bundle of luminous leaves will be adorned with fine purple to ashen flowers, which will become slightly blonder at maturity. Its adaptability is astonishing, as it tolerates both shade and sun, and tolerates dry soils if they are deep.

Hardy down to -12°C (10.4°F) in well-drained soil, Poa labillardieri is one of the few blue grasses that appreciates shaded areas of the garden. It is valued for the beautiful lightness of its hairy tufts, and its decorative aspect all year round. At the base of trees, it tolerates shade and dry soils very well. It accompanies roses, dressing their base in winter and enhancing their flowering in summer. It can easily be mixed with flowering and light perennials, such as linarias, penstemons, field daisies, Aster cordifolius, and scabious, or annual poppies and damask nigellas. The dark foliage of Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Tom Thumb', Cotinus 'Royal Purple', or Physocarpus 'Diabolo' in cooler soil will highlight its plumes that catch the light so well. Plant it en masse, in a slightly wild or contemporary garden, to watch the wind carve endless waves. It can also be grown in a large pot.