© RHS / Tim Sandall

Introducing...

Festuca

Botanical name: Festuca

Common name: fescue

These low-growing, compact, mounding-forming plants can have green, blue or golden leaves. Use them to edge a border or combine them with herbaceous perennials and other ornamental grasses. Most are evergreen and useful in containers for winter interest. In summer they have delicate wand-like flowers.

Looks

With narrow grey-green or steely-blue leaves, these compact grasses form low tufted mounds. In summer, thin, upright stems carry spikes of small flowers.

Likes

Grow in full sun, in free-draining soil that is moderately fertile to poor. They are happy in containers as well as borders.

Dislikes

These grasses are usually short-lived in damp, heavy or very fertile soil. The leaf colour is better in sun than in shade.

Did you know?

Festuca have real impact when planted en masse, providing a contemporary feel.

Growing guide

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.