Why choose native plants? Pacific Northwest native plants know how to live here and how to thrive here. They often need much less water and less fertilizer. They spread slowly and are not invasive. They support a wide diversity of wildlife. And best of all, they look great!
Roemer’s Fescue is a native bunchgrass found on upland prairies and slopes throughout the PNW. In the Willamette Valley it survives on the upward margins of woods, often under Oaks and accompanying California fescue. Roemer’s Fescue has much finer leaves and a tighter clump than Festuca californica. Its immediately identifiable by this thin blue green foliage. A cool season grower, it spends the winter in its freshest and lushest state. By late spring, it shoots up tan seed stalks 2-5’ tall, swaying in the wind, until the plant goes dormant to wait out the heat and drought of mid-summer. With regular water and good drainage this grass will avoid summer sleep and remain green and lush. A common component of Willamette Valley Oak Savanna and losing ground to invasive weeds. Excellent underplanting for drought adapted shrubs, or for the garden/wild lands interface. It spreads quickly by seed so keep it away from highly manicured areas. Its habitat in the Willamette Valley has shrunk to almost nothing. Roemer’s Fescue presents us with an important opportunity to bring part of Oregon’s ecological legacy back to our gardens. Photo courtesy of Xera Plants.
