Bunchberry vs Rough Fescue

The Bunchberry, or Quatre-Temps as it is commonly known in Quebec, is an excellent ornamental plant to have in your garden. With star-shaped white flowers in spring and clusters of bright red berries in the fall, this is one of the most refined and hardy groundcovers available. The foliage has ornamental value, with leaves going from a deep green in the spring and summer to a beautiful brick-red in the fall.

Bunchberry is a spreading evergreen perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. This plant is not well suited for urban areas close to streetsides, as it is quite intolerant to pollution. It is Canada’s national flower.

According to a poll done by the Master Gardeners of Ontario, it is one of the most recognizable Canadian flowers.

Its flowers grow with elastic petals and "fire" its pollen with the force of 2000-3000 times the force of gravity.

Rough Fescue is a native perennial bunchgrass valued for its tall, dense clumps and long-lived growth. Adapted to cold climates and nutrient-poor soils, it is a defining species of northern prairie and montane grasslands. In western Canada and the northern Rocky Mountains, Rough Fescue is considered a keystone species because it shapes plant communities, stabilizes soils, and supports ecosystem resilience.

It is a cool-season grass, growing most actively in spring and fall and slowing during the heat of summer. Rough Fescue is highly regarded as forage for wildlife and livestock, with elk, deer, and other grazing animals favoring it. Taller than many other fescue species, it is well-suited to prairie restoration, erosion control, and naturalization projects where it supports both biodiversity and long-term ecosystem health.

Compare Bunchberry with

Compare Rough Fescue with