Festuca gigantea

RHS Plant Profile
giant fescue

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Festuca gigantea?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
giant fescue RHS
giant fescue RHS

Other common names

peisgwellt mawr

Synonyms

Schedonorus giganteus

Grass Like
Buy this from Plant Nurseries
3 Suppliers

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

Position

Full shade, Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

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)
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

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 susceptible to a rust