I Hate To Say “I Told You So,”
So I’ll say “I told him so.”
(Yes, I mean Dave.)
Two summers ago, when we did some new plantings around the house (after 13 years of living here), Dave was set on Blue Fescue in a large area back by the pool. Having dabbled in ornamental grasses for several years, I was dead set against it.
“No Blue Fescue.”
He (and the landscaper) wanted to know what my grudge was against the cute little grass, all spikey and feathery, depending on the time of year.
“Because it isn’t hardy here.”
Au contrair, said they.
“OK, well, even if it says ‘hardy to zone 4,’ I’ve grown it and it doesn’t thrive here. Even if it makes it through winter, it looks like shit.”
“Jennie, don’t swear.”
“Sorry. I just don’t like Blue Fescue, OK? Pick another plant.”
…back and forth and back and forth it went. Dave won. I lost. And we planted about 50 of the suckers.
Then we had a particularly rough winter. The nursery guaranteed the plants and we replaced over half of them. The … (I want you to know that Dave just walked by, looked over my shoulder, read the only sentence that he could see and said, “they don’t look like shit.” and we started the Blue Fescue argument all over again! He’s gone now, so I resume my diatribe.)
The following winter (this past winter) was one of the most gentle that we have ever had, due to the early, insulating layer of snow we had that lasted for the entire season. I had plants alive after the snow melted this year. That has never happened! And yet… this is how the Blue Fescue fared:
It is what I look out at everyday when I’m sitting on the can and it drives me absolutely batty. I’m sure that if it weren’t the view I contemplated for minutes at a time everyday, it would not bug me nearly as much, but there you have it.
It’s a beautiful plant when it thrives. This is it before it flowers
All spikey and blue-grey. Then it sends up its feathery seed heads and it takes on a completely different look of chartreuse green.
Which is of course much different than it’s normal, more subdued state in our yard:
Charming, no?
No.
It’s frustrating because Blue Fescue — this is Elijah Blue blue fescue — is supposed to be hardy to zone 4a. And maybe it is, who knows. I’ve always considered my garden to straddle the line between zones 3 and 4. But everything should have made it through last winter. I’d love to hear from others familiar with this plant. Maybe ‘Elijah Blue’ just hates ‘Jennie With The Pool.’
I’ll be having the Blue Fescue argument for many years to come, I suspect, because there isn’t another low-growing, petite ornamental grass that is hardy here. If it were up to me, I’d put the whole area into a five-foot high wave of miscanthus. (That’s the deeper green grass planted behind the fescue in one of the pictures above.) I love that grass, not just because it is beautiful when in bloom:
But because it is bulletproof.
And I love bulletproof plants. I’ll keep working on Dave. He may have won the round, but not the fight. And I never give up.
Mo Warner says
You are right. He is wrong. The end.
admin says
And that, my friends, is why I love Mo Warner.
Alice Pearce says
Reading your article makes me laugh out loud. I am in zone 3 and trying to grow two of these but of course not doing a very good job. They look exactly like yours, in the second picture. I am sure mine will soon look like the dead clump too. Lesson learned, blue Fescue is not for zone 3.
jenmenke says
Hi Alice! I completely forgot I wrote about this! About 5 years ago — while dave was gone fishing — I ripped them all out and replaced them with Prairie Dropseed.
LIFE CHANGING. They are THE BEST PLANT EVER. No, they are not blue, but they have the mounding, architectural look that is similar to blue fescue. Blooms aren’t quite as interesting, but –who care?!– they live and thrive here. I highly recommend!
Johnny2737 says
I work in a nursery in Cali and are blue fescue here look like yours ,only I found out that giving blue fecue 80% sun light and the rest of day the 20% shade n at night cover them and you’ll see the difference n too help with the harsh cold weather some supercharge moonjuice ,it’s a supplement for harsh weathers and works wonders!!!
Lisa says
I live in zone 7 (depending on where you look), Southern Oregon, the Rogue Valley. My blue fescue is very hardy in full sun, even lasted through the terrible snow last winter. I have it in a rock garden, which gets little water in our hot summers. When I read “The Trouble with Blue Fescue,” I thought it would be the trouble I have! Such pretty flowers, which I left and left and left, enjoying all their changes. Now guess what? A virtual lawn of baby blue fescues have taken over my rock garden! I don’t know why I didn’t realize they would grow! I will cut them off way before they dry this year. I didn’t cut the plants back as far as some recommend, but did pull and yank out a lot from underneath the plants, near the ground. They look a lot better. I have never had any die.
Deborah says
I’m in zone 7 and planted a lot of these for a client. Only lasted a couple of years. Maybe they don’t like the humidity of the mid Atlantic/New England and like drier air of CA.
I won’t uae it again.
Julie says
Wow, thank you for this post. Until now, I couldn’t figure out why mine looked so pitiful in the spring and never really bounced back. Out they come this spring and I’ll have to come up with something new. Thanks again.
jenmenke says
Hey Julie! Try Prairie Dropseed in its place. It looks much the same but I have found it almost fool proof in my Minnesota garden. Nothing great for the blooms but the mounded form is a great substitute!
Sarah Anderson says
I’m in zone 8 and my twice replaced fescue looks worse than yours ! I’m in Dallas, so it’s sweltering insane heat that should not be natural on any level. I also have them planted in broad daylight on the strip bordering our driveway. There are a couple that look great but the other 18 look terrible. And I’m talking within days they look bad . I also have used yum yum mix and a tiny bit of organic minerals soil boost . I’m mulching as well . I am wondering if the problem is that I’ve been planting Elijah blue fescue instead of Boulder blue fescue . I’ve recently read that Elijah blue is not as heat tolerant .
chezron says
I work for a large nursery in customer care. MANY people lose ornamental grasses in winter, and usually grasses that are completely hardy for their zone. It is not just Blue Fescue, many of the Pennisetums don’t come back either. Maybe try something other than grasses? For some reason people seem to hate herbaceous flowering plants now and only consider grasses and conifers worth of inclusion in the garden. I feel bad for the bees and butterflies.
Jay says
Go make a sandwich and be quiet
Connie says
Hahaha. I just planted mine few days ago and it already is dried up looking, no color. Now I stare at it wondering if it’ll get better with water. They look dead. So I’m a bit annoyed. I wish I knew in advance.
Jenmenke says
What’s even funnier is that I am writing this from a new house in Colorado— and we are in the midst of doing plantings around the house. And we literally just had the blue fescue discussion again! Dave even insisted on buying some! (Try blue oat grass or prairie drop seed instead!)
Katie Schnitker says
You all made my day! We live in Santa Fe New Mexico and decided to try Blue Fescue in a garden out side our living room and bedroom windows. Maybe I should say I decided. I had tried flowers until I would not let myself go down that road again. What a mistake for a focal point! I have looked at nothing else all winter, spring and now summer, waiting for it to get better. IT DOES’NT . Blue Fescue seemed to meet all the criteria we wanted for our high, dry , cold in the winter hot in the summer climate. It isn’t easy here. Yesterday I decided to bring up the subject that it will be me or the fescue as my husband does NOT transplant anything. What goes down stays down , an old U of Arizona Ag. philosophy I’m sure. He just left for the gym. I feel an urge to dig up grass! I know Jen will understand. Thanks for the humor .
Jenmenke says
So funny Katie. I just hate that stupid grass. We’ve been happy with the blue aveena oat grass- larger but similar.
Ann says
That’s unfortunate that the blue fescue didn’t work out for you. I have a few in zone 3 Winnipeg Canada and they seem ok. They look very golden in the Spring and I often think they’re dead, but by mid June the new growth pushes through. I much prefer the Karl Foerster grasses though – they look beautiful through the Fall and Winter – they grow very well in our climate.
Shiela says
I thought the Elijah Blue Fescue sounded perfect for the Florida Big Bend zone 8b area so I got 6 and they’ve looked dead since the day after I planted them. I also planted Red Cheyenne Sky Switchgrass and Little Bluestem Grass and they both look great. So I think I may dig them up and replace them with the Prarie Drop Seed as you suggested. Thanks for the info.
Diana Valker says
I highly recommend the Prairie Dropseed. It is bulletproof. Last year, I planted a native prairie garden plan that called for Prairie Dropseed. I could only find the plants at one nursery and they were crazy expensive, so I bought a few and substituted the rest with…you guessed it, Blue Fescue from the local home center. Well, those Fescue plants are being torn out this spring. They looked sad all season. I am either going to replace with flowers or purchase more of the Praire Dropseed. Big/Little Blue Stem is another new favorite grass for me. It has bluish leaves which turn red in the fall. I think I might plant those all over the yard this year. I adore the look of Miscanthus, but it is now considered invasive here.
Dana Vandenbos says
Wish I read this before ordering 10 Blue Fescue. I live in Northern California zone 8. I’m hoping to mix sand, potting soil and plant food will keep them going during our hot dry summers. I was told they are drought tolerant.
Maureen says
I have clay soil that even after mixed with compost can become very dry. My blue fescue does well for about a year and then the soil cakes around the roots and they become hard. After that, I can’t get the blue back. I’m no expert, but I’m thinking very well draining soil is required. Some taller blue grass does great. Perhaps this is the oat grass.
Jenmenke says
@maurern- we also have a house in a Eagle Colorado now – think “high desert, dry” – and… Dave insisted on some blue fescue again!! We also have hard-as-rock, I-could-make-a-pot-out-of-this clay soil and the blue fescue is alive but absolutely nothing special. There IS a blue grass that does thrive in these conditions out here called Blue Agave grass. Not sure of hardiness but it gets wicked cold here in winter, so…
Leah says
I’m a bit obsessed with my Elijah Blue fescue grass which has done well for many years in my garden in Colorado. Aside from Prairie Dropseed, Elijah Blue is the only plant that looks alive during the winter! We are in the suburbs by the way, not the mountains.
My garden is in zone 5-6, has good drainage and a lot of sun. It’s on an incline with very rocky soil. The garden faces west and the fescue have no shade. The snowmelt provides some water in winter. The fescue look mostly dormant/tan by spring, but in summer return to a mound of fine blades of green, blue and golden grass.
The directions for many drought tolerant plants say water regularly until established and I’ve done that out of necessity. We also have to water daily in the summer. I haven’t done as well with regular fertilization of established plants.
I decided to try give the fescue some occaisional supplemental water mixed with powdered fertilizer this winter and they are looking much better than in past winters. I hope I dont disrupt the life cycle.
I haven’t been impressed with the fescue grass with more blue color (Boulder Blue?) in my garden. They had more fertilizer during planting a year ago and looked amazing then, but may not survive to summer.