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Grass Like

Festuca arundinacea

tall fescue

A British native, common throughout the country, forming large and impressive, if somewhat untidy, clumps to 1.5m tall, with relatively broad, flat, semi-evergreen leaves. The fairly narrow, feathery flower sprays have green or purplish panicles. Food plant for several butterfly and moth caterpillars, and the meadow grasshopper

Other common names

Dover grass
meadow fescue
see moremeadow fescue grass
tall fescue grass
peisgwellt tal

Synonyms

Festuca elatior

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Plant nurseries
3 suppliers

Ultimate height

1–1.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Poorly–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Drought resistance

Yes

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: Semi 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: Eurasia

How to grow

Cultivation

Found in rough and grassy places on a wide range of soils, and also grown for hay. Thrives in sun or partial shade in moist but well-drained soil, but deep roots allow it to tolerate both drought and short-term waterlogging

Propagation

Propagate by seed or by division

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Gravel garden
Prairie planting
Wildflower meadow
Wildlife gardens
Banks and slopes

Pruning

Can prune back in late winter to early spring to keep neat

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to a rust

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