Healthy Lawns—Hard fescue (2024)

Qualities

Hard fescue is a cool-season grass often used in cool-season grass seed mixtures when shade is an expected problem. It does well on low fertility soils and in shaded areas. This species is good as a non-mowed turf for slopes, median strips, and nonused areas of parks. It does not recover well from severe injury. It is not tolerant of high summer temperatures.

Identifying tips

A very fine-bladed grayish to dark-green grass. The leaves are folded in the bud, there are no auricles, and a membranous ligule is present. Hard fescue is a bunch grass with a semi-erect growth habit and heavy roots.

Maintenance

Low maintenance. Hard fescue is often not mowed and can be left unmowed (it doesn't respond well to close mowing). It has a low fertility requirement and has a high tolerance for drought, shade, and cold temperatures.

• Planting and management tips
• Turf adaptations and tolerances table
• Grass species and key

See the following publication for more information:

• "No-Mow Fineleaf Fescue Grasses for California Urban Landscapes" (3 MB, PDF)