Calendar · Chicago IL · Denver CO

Fine Fescue care calendar for zone 5

Cold winter, mild-to-warm summer; the heart of the cool-season lawn belt. Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, fine fescue, and perennial rye all thrive. Spring green-up usually arrives by April; lawn is fully active May through mid-October.

Fine fescue is the umbrella name for creeping red, chewings, hard, and sheep fescues: fine-bladed grasses that thrive in shade and infertile soil where Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue would struggle. It is the go-to choice for the strip under a maple tree or the slope you do not want to irrigate.