Characteristics

• Appearance: A densely tufted grass with fine-bladed foliage that can be green, blue-green, or gray-green, depending on the variety and conditions. Cultivars like 'Siskiyou Blue' are known for their distinct spruce-blue color.
• Growth habit: It forms dense clumps of grass, which is characteristic of a bunchgrass. It grows to about 1 to 2 feet tall.
• Flowers and seeds: The grass produces slender, branched inflorescences of spikelets in late spring to mid-summer.
• Roots: A robust root system helps to prevent erosion, improve soil structure, and create symbiotic relationships with the fungal network in the soil.
• Tolerance: It is highly drought-tolerant once established and is also deer-resistant. It performs best in full sun to partial shade. 

Cultivation and use

• Planting: Idaho fescue can be planted in well-drained soils, including clay, loam, rocky, and sand types. The optimal planting time for non-irrigated sites is typically the fall.
• Watering: It requires very little water once established and can survive with infrequent watering during the summer months. In wetter conditions, however, good soil drainage is important to prevent disease.
• Maintenance: This is a low-maintenance grass. For a tidy appearance, it can be cut back or mowed high in the early spring.
• Uses:
  • Ornamental: Prized for its fine texture and soft, graceful appearance in gardens and mass plantings.
  • Erosion control: Its dense, fibrous root system makes it effective for stabilizing disturbed slopes and preventing erosion.
  • Wildlife habitat: It is a nutritious forage grass for wildlife, and its foliage is used by birds for nesting. It is also a larval host plant for some butterflies. 

Popular cultivars

• Festuca idahoensis 'Siskiyou Blue': A cultivar known for its intense spruce-blue foliage.
• Festuca idahoensis 'Clearwater Blue': Features densely tufted, soft blue-green blades.