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Grass Like

Festuca gautieri

spiky fescue

An evergreen, clump forming golden yellow grass providing good colour year round.

Other common names

bearskin fescue

Synonyms

Festuca rubra var. viridis hort.
Festuca scoparia

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Plant nurseries
3 suppliers

Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 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 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 the UK: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Clump forming
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

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in poor to moderatly fertile dry well drained soil in ful sun. Divide and replant every 2-3 years to maintain good foliage colour

Propagation

Divide clumps every two-three years. Sow seed from autumn to spring in containers

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Gravel garden
Low Maintenance

Pruning

Tidy up in spring raking the dead foliage out of the middle of plant

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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