Festuca idahoensis
Common Name(s):
Idaho Fescue
Blue bunchgrass
Synonym:
Festuca ingrata
Flower:
Green
Blooms :
to:
Slender branched flowers in open pinicale 3-8" long, spikelets contain 3-7 small flowers
Botanical Description
Fragrant?
NO
Family:
Poaceae
Grass
Foliage:
Fall Color?
NO
Photo by:
Heading 6
Oregon Native?
NO
West State Native?
NO
Origins:
Native to western Noorth America
Site Selection
Minimum USDA Hardiness Zone:
4
Water Needs:
L
Sun Needs:
Full sun
Deer Resistant?
NO
Firewise?
NO
Height:
3-4'
Spread:
.75-1'
Growth Rate:
Slow
Native Habitat:
Cool grasslands, sagebrush steppe, shrublands,, open pine or mixed conifer forests across western North America
Soil:
Well-drained coarse textured, or loamy soils
Care Recommendations
Maintenance Level:
Low
Fertilizer:
Requires no fertilizer
Mulch:
1-2" layer of pea gravel, decomposed granite, or crushed rock
Water about once a month during hot summer months, comb out dead leaves by hand or rake, leave old foliaget hrough winter, avoid severe cuts, skip fertilizing, divide old crowded clumps in spring
Long Term:
Winter:
Stop watering, leave standing foliage intact, do not prune
Spring:
Cut back the foliage to about 4-6 inches in the spring before growth resumes. When foliage is removed, spring growth will begin earlier. Old foliage left on the plant can delay the crowns warming and subsequent growth by as much as 3 weeks.
Summer:
Water deeply once a month or not at all
Fall:
Grasses do not need to be cut down before winter. In fact, they are attractive when left standing and the foliage helps to insulate the crown of the plant.
General Care Comments:
Plant in full sun, water deeply every 2-3 weeks when young then only occassionally during dry spells, prefers lean sandy, gravelly, or rocky well-drained soils, no fertilizeris needed, groom clumps by hand pulling dead or scruffy leaves
Common Problems
Roo much water
Diseases:
Insects:
Aphids, grasshoppers, billbugs, armyworms,
Environmental Problems:
Pests:
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