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Grass Like

Festuca gigantea

giant fescue

An evergreen grass to 1m tall with broad, flat, shiny foliage, purple nodes on the stems, and green flowers on sparse, arching stems in mid- to late summer

Synonyms

Schedonorus giganteus

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Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full shade
Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

West–facing or East–facing or South–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Poaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: Yes
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Tufted
Genus: Festuca can be herbaceous or evergreen, rhizomatous grasses with linear, often strikingly coloured, leaves, and dense or lax panicles of brownish flowers in summer
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Europe to China, Bioko

How to grow

Cultivation

Grows in any well-drained soil in sun or shade; see also ornamental grasses cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame in spring or by division in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Wildlife gardens
Banks and slopes

Pruning

Comb out dead foliage in early spring

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be affected by a rust

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