Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Description:

Grown for its stiff upright blue-green foliage, this variety is well suited to garden beds and mixed containers; can be grown as a pond plant but is also quite drought tolerant when grown in the garden

Ornamental Features

Blue Dart Rush is primarily valued in the garden for its ornamental upright and spreading habit of growth. Its attractive grassy leaves remain bluish-green in colour with showy blue variegation throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Blue Dart Rush is a dense herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Blue Dart Rush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing

Blue Dart Rush will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selection of a native North American species.

Blue Dart Rush is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a canvas of foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.