Fine Fescue
Festuca rubra · Cool-season, Perennial, C3 grass
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Pooideae
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf Grass, Shade Turf, Erosion Control
Variety / Cultivar
Creeping Red Fescue ('Audubon' or similar)
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9; excellent cold tolerance, struggles with extreme southern heat and humidity.
About This Grass
Forms a very fine-textured, soft, dense turf with needle-like blades. Color ranges from light green to deep blue-green. Unmowed height reaches 12-18 inches, while maintained turf is kept much lower. Seed heads are typically panicles that appear in late spring.
Blade Characteristics
Blades are very fine (less than 2mm wide), folded or tightly rolled/involute in the bud, pointed tips, blue-green to dark green color, with prominent longitudinal veins. Ligule is short and membranous, auricles are absent.
Root System
Moderate depth fibrous root system with slender rhizomes. Moderate establishment speed, can develop a moderate thatch layer if over-fertilized, highly drought dormant.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Europe and North America; widely adapted to northern temperate regions
Growth Habit
Rhizomatous and bunch-type, spreading moderately by short underground rhizomes to form a fine turf
Sunlight & Water Needs
Exceptional shade tolerance, can grow in partial to deep shade; also thrives in full sun in cooler climates. Low to moderate water needs, excellent drought tolerance through summer dormancy.
Mowing & Maintenance
Ideal mowing height is 1.5 to 2.5 inches. Low maintenance requirements, sensitive to over-fertilization and over-watering. Requires low nitrogen (1-2 lbs per 1000 sq ft per year).
Special Characteristics
Outstanding shade tolerance, very good cold tolerance, poor traffic and wear tolerance compared to Kentucky Bluegrass, excellent drought dormancy recovery, good salt tolerance relative to other cool-season grasses.
Ecological Information
Often native or naturalized across northern latitudes, excellent for low-input sustainable lawns, provides good soil stabilization on slopes, frequently mixed with Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass in shady seed blends.