Festuca
Fescue
Originating from the Latin word for stalk or stem, the genus Festuca is comprised of approximately 300 cool season perennial species. The following selections highlight natty fine textured tufts, which appreciate well-drained sites and a division every couple of years, while pouting in hot humid weather.
A focal point for its stiff silvery blades, this robust grass originated from seed that Cal Flora Nursery owner, Phil Van Soelen, collected near California’s Sonoma coast. Anchored by burgundy sheaves, glaucous gray-green leaves remain evergreen in milder climates and become more lustrous as the weather warms. Unfurling in open, yet showy, abundance, the nimble greenish panicles mature to a golden hue some 2 or 3 ft. above a fairly compact, dense basal tuft of enduring handsome foliage. Resplendent massed with shrubs such as Ceanothus, Cistus or Ribes, ‘Phil’s Silver’ prefers minimal to moderate summer water and obliges an array of situations, such as coastal slopes, wind and drought in cooler locations.
Blooms April–June
Size: 3' 0" high x 3' 0" wide.
Hardy to zone 7.
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