Sheep’s Fescue (Festuca ovina) is a versatile and resilient grass species that is native to Europe and has been widely cultivated around the world. Fundamentally, it is a cool-season, perennial grass that is primarily known for its adaptability to harsh environmental conditions and its ability to thrive in poor soils.
Its leaves are narrow and rolled, giving them a needle-like appearance. This grass is known for its excellent tolerance to drought, heat, and cold.
Uses & Conditions
Not only that but Sheep’s Fescue has significant ecological value. Its dense growth and extensive root system can help with erosion control and help to stabilise soils, making it an excellent choice for land reclamation projects, erosion-prone areas, and disturbed sites.
Sheep’s Fescue is a low-maintenance grass that requires minimal inputs once established. So, it grows slowly, reducing the need for frequent mowing, and its deep root system makes it relatively tolerant to drought conditions. Consequently, it is an attractive option for homeowners, landscapers, and conservationists seeking a resilient and sustainable grass for a variety of applications.
Preferred Soils
Sheep’s Fescue thrives in a wide range of environmental conditions and is particularly suited to poor, dry soils and open, sunny areas. It performs best in well-drained, sandy or rocky soils, making it perfect for slopes, banks, and sites where other grasses struggle. Although tolerant of moderate shade, full sun encourages the densest and most robust growth. Importantly, this grass is drought-tolerant once established, requiring little to no irrigation, which makes it an excellent choice for sustainable and eco-conscious gardening projects.
Sheep’s Fescue – Festuca ovina – is also noted for its adaptability to low-fertility soils. It requires little feeding and can grow in slightly acidic to neutral pH conditions. It forms dense tussocks that resist trampling and help prevent soil erosion, supporting biodiversity and encouraging beneficial insects.
The flowering period for Sheep’s Fescue typically occurs from late spring to early summer, around May to July. During this time, delicate flower spikes emerge above the foliage, offering a soft, ornamental quality that enhances the visual appeal of wild or informal gardens. These flowering heads are subtle yet attractive, adding to the plant’s rustic charm.
Flowering Season: May – June
Size
Height: 5-60cm.
Growing Conditions
Soil Type: Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand.
Moisture: Moist but well drained.
Position
How much sun: Full sun, Partial Shade
Aspect: North, East, South, West facing.
Sheep’s Fescue – Planting Information
Festuca ovina seeds can be sown all year round but warmer soils produce best results.
Plant plugs into well drained soil in a sunny or shaded position for best results.
Delivery Information
This item will be despatched as soon as stock is available.
Seeds available all year round subject to availability.
All Plants, Bulbs and Seeds are despatched separately from other items.
Produced in the UK from cultivated stock.
Your Delivery
Turf Online aims to give its customers the best possible experience by delivering the best quality products for sale in the UK. Therefore, all our perishable products are harvested fresh to order the day before delivery!
Delivery charges and services vary by different types of turf and delivery location. Charges are confirmed at checkout before payment. If your order includes grass turf, topsoil, Wildflower Turf or Sedum mats, you can choose your delivery day. You should arrange for live products to be delivered on the day you will lay them. Reducing the amount of time the product is stored means significantly less potential nuisance when it comes to installation; certain issues will not have had a chance to rise. All other products are delivered within 5 working days (or usually sooner!).
How Is Your Product Delivered?
We recommend that you only make arrangements for tradespeople to carry out work on your behalf after your turf or other products have been delivered.
PLEASE NOTE: Turf, Wildflower Turf, Sedum Mats and bulk Bag products are delivered on a pallet and can only be delivered to the kerbside.
Most of our products for sale in the UK will be delivered by being transported by a pallet courier that primarily uses 18-tonne rigid trucks that are built for reaching the majority of UK addresses. However, it is possible that your delivery could be made on a larger vehicle. If access or other restrictions prevent vehicles above a certain size reaching your address, or there are other offloading or parking restrictions which could affect the delivery, let us know in the delivery notes section of checkout so that special delivery arrangements can be made. Please make sure you double check the delivery postcode and address carefully as after your order has been shipped, it is likely we will not be able to make any amendments to your order or address.
Delivery is unloaded using a manual pallet trolley which is lowered to the road by the tail lift on the truck. Unfortunately, we do not offer Hiab (truck-mounted crane) deliveries. To offload the pallet, the surface must be flat and level. Since Turf, Wildflower Turf, Sedum and topsoil can be heavy, and the pallet trolley pulled by the driver has small wheels, pallets cannot be delivered onto soil, grass or gravel – a tarmac or paved surface is required.
Kerbside delivery means that our products for sale in the UK is delivered as close as possible to the delivery address you provide. Our helpful drivers will do their best to place your delivery where you wish, such as a driveway, but this is at their discretion. If your delivery address is hard to find or the property is a new build, consider using what3words to pinpoint your delivery location. More information on what3words can be found in our Help Centre.
For more information on how The Pallet Network delivers our different types of products, please watch this short video.
What Issues Could Arise With Delivery?
If your product delivery cannot be made due to a reason you failed to make us aware of, the full cost of distribution and products will still be charged to you. We are proud that most of our turf deliveries arrive on time. Sometimes, circumstances beyond our control (extreme weather, road accidents, vehicle breakdowns or IT failures) can delay delivery, but we will make every effort to keep you updated in such an event.
