Festuca gautieri

RHS Plant Profile

spiky fescue

Other common names

bearskin fescue

Synonyms

Festuca rubra var. viridis hort.
Festuca scoparia

Grass Like

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

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

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

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–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
Drought Resistance: Yes

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Poaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: 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