Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Blue Nolina
Blue Nolina is a bold Mexican nolina with long, inch-wide leaves in grey-green to powder blue. Over the years it grows a tall trunk topped by a fountain of blue leaves, reaching roughly 6 to 15 feet. It takes full sun, reflected heat or part shade and needs little water once rooted. Use it as a specimen or focal point where its color can stand out.
Best for: a blue specimen or focal point, hot spots with reflected heat, part-shade corners, and low-water yards with room to grow.
Its inch-wide grey-green to powder blue leaves make it a strong specimen. Place it where the blue color stands out, with 8 to 12 feet of room around it.
It grows in full sun and takes reflected heat, so it holds up near hot walls and paving. It also grows in part shade.
Once rooted it needs little water. A deep soak once or twice a month in summer keeps it looking good.
It slowly grows to 6 to 15 feet with a wide crown, so it outgrows small spots. It needs soil that drains well, and the leaf edges have tiny teeth.
- Plant to plant8-12 ft apart, center to center
- Accent group8-12 ft apart, center to center
Once rooted it needs little water. Give a deep soak once or twice a month in summer.
Plant it in full sun, reflected heat or part shade. Leave 8 to 12 feet of room for the crown.
Mature plants send up tall flower stalks in summer. Cut old stalks off once they dry if you want a tidier look.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does Blue Nolina get?
It slowly grows a trunk and reaches about 6 to 15 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. Plan the spot for that final size.
How far apart should I plant Blue Nolina?
Plant it about 8 to 12 feet apart center to center. The Spacing tab shows the numbers.
What color are the leaves?
The leaves are grey-green to powder blue, about an inch wide, with tiny teeth along the edges. Plant it where the blue color can stand out.
Can it take reflected heat?
Yes. Plant it in full sun, reflected heat or part shade, including spots by hot walls and paving.
How often should I water it?
Once rooted it needs little water. Give it a deep soak once or twice a month in summer, in soil that drains well.
Does it bloom?
Mature plants send up a tall spike of small, lightly fragrant greenish flowers, usually in summer. Cut the spike off once it dries if you want a tidier look.
How cold hardy is Blue Nolina?
It is rated hardy to about 0°F, so a Valley winter does not hurt it.
How fast does it grow?
It grows at a moderate rate, with the trunk forming slowly over the years. Buy a larger size if you want height sooner.
How is it different from Tree Bear Grass?
Blue Nolina has grey-green to powder blue leaves and is hardy to about 0°F. Tree Bear Grass has glossy green, sharp-edged leaves and is hardy to about 10°F.
Blue Nolina for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Blue Nolina, Nolina nelsonii, comes from the mountains of Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico. It is grown for its grey-green to powder blue leaves and the trunk it builds over time. This page covers its size, spacing, water, sun and cold hardiness, and how it compares with Tree Bear Grass.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
How big does Blue Nolina get in Arizona?
It slowly grows a trunk and reaches about 6 to 15 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. Its growth rate is moderate.
Where is Blue Nolina from?
It comes from the mountains of Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico. It is rated hardy to about 0°F.
How far apart to plant Blue Nolina
Plant it about 8 to 12 feet apart center to center so the crown has room.
Watering Blue Nolina in the Valley
Once rooted it needs little water. A deep soak once or twice a month in summer is plenty.
Is Blue Nolina cold hardy?
Yes. It is rated hardy to about 0°F, colder than Tree Bear Grass at about 10°F.
Blue Nolina vs Tree Bear Grass
Both slowly grow trunks over time. Blue Nolina has grey-green to powder blue leaves, while Tree Bear Grass has glossy green leaves with sharp edges.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.