Festuca ovina
Sheep's fescue
- Height × spread
- 0.3m × 0.3m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Flowers
- Spring, Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
A modest grass with very slender leaves and an upright growth habit. It makes clumps of shiny green or silvered green. The flower plumes stand on slender stems above the foliage and tend to arch, softening the more upright lines of the spring growth. The spikelets mostly occur on one side of the stem and have a purplish tint. Trim away the old growth as it becomes shabby and lax. The species is seldom seen under cultivation as the cultivars are more commonly used as ornamentals.
- Flower colour
- Brown, Grey
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Fruit colour
- Beige
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Fan
- Height
- 0.3m
- Spread
- 0.3m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer
- Flowers in
- Spring, Summer
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Small scale garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Ground cover, Bird attraction
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring · Planting
Divide every other year
The plant can be divided in alternate years. Clumps may be divided into two or more pieces. Rhizomes can be cut whilst small bulbs or offsets are detached. The new plants can be grown in a container or planted in the ground.
Summer
Summer - early · Outdoors
Feed a general fertiliser
Where plants have moderate needs for nutrients, they can simply be given a general feed, fairly early in the growth season so that the growth has plenty of time to harden off before the cold weather.
Give plants a general boost with the application of a general purpose fertiliser which is spread around the root area of the plant, with amounts as directed on the feed label.
Found in
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