Native to most of the Northern Hemisphere, Festuca rubra is a cool season grass prized for its fine texture and high shade tolerance. Its specific epithet, rubra, meaning “red”, refers to the airy panicles of inflorescences that appear in mid to late spring, from May to June, which rise above the arching, medium green blades. Red Fescue, as it’s referred to commonly, makes an excellent lawn replacement and is resistant to deer browse. If allowed to naturalize and bloom in spring, it gives the landscape a luscious meadow appearance, especially when intermixed with seasonal flowering perennials and other cool season grasses. As an early cool season grass, Red Fescue goes dormant in the summer, however during its growing season makes excellent forage for livestock as well as wild animals. Festuca rubra is capable of handling regular mowing, is resilient in a large variety of soil types, and is highly drought tolerant.

• Category: Grasses
• Hardiness Zone: 2
• Height: 18 in
• Spread: 18 in
• Bloom Color: Red