Sheeps Fescue

The finest leaved and least aggressive fescue, it is found throughout the UK. It is hardy and drought resistant and will with-stand heavy grazing or close cutting, however it has a low forage yield. It is a useful species for providing a low growing, low maintenance green cover on difficult soils. It is one of the earlier fine fescues to flower in the spring.

Uses

Used in amenity mixtures requiring a low sward height and little maintenance. It is also used in mixtures of traditional grass species, to fill out the base of the sward and wild flower mixtures.

Persistence

It is a long term perennial species, surviving well on harsher sites.

Strengths

It is very hardy and drought resistant, it is slow growing and low in height, so it needs little maintenance. In upland areas when young its shoots are nutritious and it can tolerate close sheep grazing which means it may become a dominant species.

Frost Tolerance

Very hardy

Sowing Rate Advice

80kg per acre / 200kg per ha

It is a small and dense plant, which means each plant does not cover large areas of ground, hence the high sowing rate.

Mixture Sowing Rate Advice

1 - 2kgs per acre / 2.5 - 5kgs per ha

Ideal Sowing Time

Sow from May to Early autumn as it can be slow to establish before winter.

Management

Sheeps fescue is a dense plant, which will tolerate heavy grazing or mowing.

Distinguishing characteristics

Seed
Sheeps fescue is one of the larger amenity fescue grass seeds. It is thin and long in shape, sometimes an awn is present. It is beige in colour and 6mm in length.

Flowering Plant
The leaves are dense and rough with a green to greyish colour and hairless, they are narrow and bristle like in length, running to pointed tips. As with many of the finer fescues the ligule is extremely short. The culms terminate to a close panicle, containing small oval spikelets (5mm in length). This species is not known for having rhizomes or runners. It is one of the lowest growing fescues, reaching between 10 - 40 cm in height.

Additional Info

Flowers May - July Average seeds per kg - 1,000,000.

Works well with

It works well as part of a mixture with other low and slow growing species like bentgrass and chewings fescue, for low maintenance amenity mixtures. However it is not often used in formal lawn situations because it does not leave a particularly fine finish.

You can find Sheeps Fescue in the following mixtures

• Low Maintenance without ryegrass
• Damp Meadow
• Orchard Mixture
• Chalk & Limestone Soil Mixture
• Cotswold Wild Flora
• Species Rich Parkland Grassland Low Maintenance
• Species Rich Parkland Grass Low Maintenance 20% ORGANIC
• Polo Pitch Mixture
• Golf Course Roughs Mixture
• Orchard Clover Understory Mixture
• Floristically Enhanced Field Margin (IPM2/AB8)
• Acid & Clay Soil Mixture
• Nectar Stewardship Mix (IPM2/AB8)
• Llama & Alpaca Paddock
• Pollen & Nectar Mix Grass & Legume Margin
• Pollen & Nectar Flower Mix Grass & Legume Margin 70% ORGANIC
• Recreating Grassland
• Recreating Grassland 70% ORGANIC
• Solar Park Permanent Grassland - Low Maintenance 70% Organic
• Vineyard Grass Surface Pollinator Mix
• Vineyard Grass Surface Pollinator Mix 22% Organic
• Vineyard Alleyway Low Maintenance Grass Mix