Native Plant of the Month: California Fescue

Species of grass that are typically used for lawns are not ideal for a few reasons. The two largest ones being that they require frequent watering and they cover large areas with a plant that is unusable to the surrounding ecosystem. Native bunch grasses like California fescue (Festuca californica) are much different.

While California fescue and other bunch grasses provide habitat to native birds, mammals, and a variety of moths and butterflies, one of their most fascinating features is one that you can’t even see. Underground, their root systems are multiple feet in length which allow them to survive through the dry summers, help prevent soil erosion, and even sequester carbon from the atmosphere.

You can find California fescue growing naturally in many habitats including shady north facing slopes under mixed evergreen canopies and dry slopes under oaks and pines.

How to Grow California Fescue

California fescue grows two to three feet tall and two to three feet wide. Its green flower stems reach three to five feet in the spring—usually from March through May—and fade to a golden tan in the summer. California fescue lives for many years, is drought tolerant, and does well on slopes and in poor soil.

You can plant California Fescue in partial shade to full sun, under a canopy of mature trees, or on an open slope.

Comb away dead blades in summer and fall with a small hand scythe to give a cleaner look and allow for new growth.

Native Plants to Grow with California Fescue

California Fescue pairs well with woodland understory native plants such as woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana), foothill sedge (Carex tumulicola), California Phacelia (Phacelia californica), and other native bunch grasses.

Where to Buy Native Plants

California fescue and other California native plants grown from locally wild-collected seed are available for sale from our Native Plant Nursery:

By Nursery Director, Deanna Giuliano