Idaho Fescue (Festuca idahoensis) is a mid-sized, native bunchgrass sporting very thin and fine, blue-green foliage. From mid-spring to mid-summer, spikelets appear above the tuft and produce large, awned blooms. Idaho Fescue is prized for its hardiness to both drought and cold and its low maintenance. Use this plant to provide structure and texture to xeric gardens or other garden beds or borders. It can also be used to stabalize slopes or as a groundcover. In one study of cool-season grasses and their competitiveness with weeds, Idaho Fescue was found to be the most competitive of all the grasses tested, making it a fabulous choice in matrix planting.
Expected 2025 Availabilty- Late April
Idaho Fescue
Irrigation Requirement: Very Low (Water to Establish) (water once a month in dry summers) to Low (1/2" every 10-14 days)
Mature Size: 1 - 2' tall and 10 - 15" wide
Spacing: 12" apart
Season: Cool-season grass
Hardiness Zone: 4 - 8
Light Requirement: Full Sun
Deer Resistant: Yes
Salt Tolerant: No
Soils: Adaptable to sandy, loamy, or clay soils as long as they are well-drained.
Plants in the Festuca genus are host species for 10 known native pollinators in northern Utah. Idaho Fescue also provides valuable forage, cover, and habitat for birds and small animals.