Fine Fescue
Festuca rubra · Cool-season, Perennial, C3 grass
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Pooideae
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf Grass, Shade Turf, Low-Maintenance Turf
Variety / Cultivar
Creeping Red Fescue (Festuca rubra subsp. rubra)
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9; excellent cold tolerance, moderate heat tolerance; often blended with other cool-season grasses in the transition zone
About This Grass
Forms a fine-textured, dense turf with very narrow, needle-like bright green to medium green blades. Grows up to 12-18 inches if unmowed, but usually maintained much lower. Excellent shade tolerance and low fertility requirements.
Blade Characteristics
Very fine width (<2mm), folded in the bud (vernation), needle-like shape with pointed tips, smooth texture, medium green color with prominent parallel veins on the underside
Root System
Moderately deep fibrous root system with slender creeping rhizomes; moderate establishment speed; moderate thatch-forming tendency under high fertility
Growing Information
Origin Region
Europe and northwestern North America, widely naturalized across temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere
Growth Habit
Rhizomatous, forming a fine-textured, dense sod with moderate spreading via underground shoots
Sunlight & Water Needs
Highly shade tolerant, performs well in partial shade to full sun; low to moderate water needs; good drought dormancy tolerance; prefers well-drained, acidic to neutral soils (pH 5.5-6.5)
Mowing & Maintenance
Ideal mowing height 1.5 to 2.5 inches; low fertilizer requirements (1-2 lbs N per 1000 sq ft per year); low overall maintenance level; sensitive to over-fertilization
Special Characteristics
Outstanding shade tolerance, excellent cold hardiness, poor heavy traffic tolerance, moderate drought tolerance, good tolerance of poor infertile soils, susceptible to red thread disease under high humidity
Ecological Information
Introduced species widely naturalized in North America; provides good erosion control on slopes; commonly used in low-maintenance seed mixes with Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass