Tall fescue
Schedonorus arundinaceus
Deep-rooted and, for a cool-season grass, comparatively tolerant of summer heat and drought. The blade is coarse, but it handles traffic with little care, so it is common on school grounds and riverbanks. Often still sold under the older name Festuca arundinacea.
At a glance
| Family | Poaceae |
|---|---|
| Season type | Cool-season |
| Heat tolerance | ●●●●● |
| Cold tolerance | ●●●●● |
| Shade tolerance | ●●●●● |
| Wear tolerance | ●●●●● |
| Drought tolerance | ●●●●● |
| Mowing height | 40–90 mm |
| Propagation | Seed |
| Upkeep | Low upkeep |
| Native range | Europe, North Africa, West Asia |
Growing conditions
| USDA hardiness zones | 4–8 |
|---|---|
| Sunlight | Part shade |
| Watering | Medium |
| Growth rate | Moderate |
| Soil pH | 5.5–7.5 |
| Common problems | Brown patch / Pythium blight / Weed invasion |
How to grow it
Climate and sun
The most heat-tolerant of the common cool-season grasses, and deep-rooted enough to ride out dry spells. It handles part shade, which makes it the first choice if you want a cool-season lawn in a warm-temperate region.
Planting
Sow seed in early to mid-autumn. Spring sowing is possible but rarely roots deeply enough to survive the first summer. It grows in clumps rather than spreading, so thin areas are fixed by overseeding. Sow generously and build density from the start.
Watering
Deep roots mean fewer waterings, but each one should soak in. Light surface watering throws away the deep rooting that makes this grass worth having.
Mowing
Cut high, 40–70 mm — it does not take close mowing. The taller it goes into summer, the more of it survives. Weekly during growth.
Feeding
Weight the feeding to autumn, with a light spring feed. No nitrogen in summer: it calls in brown patch.
Problems and winter
Brown patch in hot, humid weather is the main threat, melting out circles of leaf. Airflow and morning-only watering are the defence. It stays green but stops growing in winter, then picks up in spring.