Atlas fescue

Festuca mairei | Rating: 0 votes | Print / Pdf

Guilty of forgetting to water your plants? Guilt be gone! The Atlas fescue won’t love you any the less – it can survive for quite some time without water. Phew!

Festuca mairei is an ornamental grass that is easy to grow. The grey green leaves are long and thin and arch over giving a very attractive look. The flowers are small but do add to the effect, growing on tall stalks. It's a drought tolerant species and will grow in most types of soil, however it will suffer in extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, and in excessively humid areas. It grows in clumps which you can divide to create more plants for elsewhere in your garden. It's a low maintenance plant which isn't usually affected by pests or disease. It's also evergreen so you'll have year round foliage in your garden. It will grow between 1 and 3 feet both in height and spread.

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Plant
Known dangers?
  • no
Height [m]
  • 0.6 - 0.9
Spread [m]
  • 0.9
Dominant flower colour
  • Green
Flower Fragrance
  • No, neutral please
Flowering seasons
  • Early summer
Foliage in spring
  • Green
Foliage in summer
  • Green
Foliage in Autumn
  • Green
Foliage in winter
  • Green
Propagation methods
  • division
Growth habit
  • Arching
  • Clump-forming
Environment
Acidity
  • Acidic
  • Neutral
  • Alkaline
Hardiness zone
  • Z4-8
Heat zone
  • H8-1
Winter temperatures [°C]
  • -34 - -7
Heat days
  • 0 - 120
Moisture
  • well-drained
  • well-drained but frequently watered
Soil type
  • sandy
  • chalky
  • loams
Sun requirements
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade
Exposure
  • Exposed
  • Sheltered
Usage
Standard category
  • Grasses, ferns & bamboo
  • Grasses
Grown for
  • Ornamental Foliage
Creative category
  • Kid Approved
  • For Beginners
  • For every season
Garden type
  • Cottage garden
  • Rock garden
  • Containers
  • City
Garden spaces
  • Flower beds
  • Borders
Gardening expertise
  • beginner
Time to reach full size
  • 2 to 5 years
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