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Products > Festuca californica 'River House Blues'   Festuca californica 'River House Blues' - California Fescue     [2nd Image] Habit and Cultural Information Category: Grass Family: Poaceae (Gramineae) (Grasses) Origin: California (U.S.A.) Evergreen: Yes Flower Color: Pink Bloomtime: Summer Height: 2-3 feet Exposure: Sun or Shade Summer Dry: Yes Deer Tolerant: Yes Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs Winter Hardiness: 0-10° F Festuca californica 'River House Blues' (Ron's California Fescue) - An elegant evergreen (along coast) mid-sized bunch grass that forms fountain-like growth from tight clumps arching up to 2 feet tall by about as wide with chalky-blue foliage. In summer appear the elegant flower stalks that rise above the foliage an additional 2 to 3 feet with airy open sprays of pink-tinged flowers that age to a nice wheat color. Plant in full sun to shade and irrigate occasionally to infrequently. It is tolerant of a wide variety of soil types and is drought tolerant, particularly in shade plantings but looks best with an occasional watering. For the coast it is evergreen and in colder areas it is root hardy to around 0° F (USDA Zone 7). This grass is resistant to deer predation and great for massed plantings, slope stabilization and for planting as an understory for oak trees. The species is native to Oregon and California, where is grows throughout the state with concentrations in the Coastal Ranges from Santa Barbara county north and in the Sierra and Cascade Ranges. This selection, made by landscape architect Ron Lutsko, seems to be better suited to our conditions here in southern and central California than the cultivar 'Serpentine Blue'. We thank Carol Bornstein for providing us with the seed of this great grass. Images courtesy of Carol Bornstein.  The information on this page is based on research conducted about this plant in the San Marcos Growers library, from online sources, and from observations made of the crops growing in our nursery, plants in the nursery's garden and those in other gardens where we may have observed it. We also have incorporated comments received from others and welcome getting feedback from those who may have additional information, particularly if this information includes cultural information that would aid others in growing Festuca californica 'River House Blues'.     [MORE INFO]