Re: Blue Festuca (Fescue)

Carol, I guess it depends on how tall you would like it to be 
and what sort of look you are going for.  Is it full sun?  If 
you want something low & utterly carefree, lately I've taken to 
a charming silvery-green curly allium (A. senescens glaucum) as 
a border for several of my herb beds.  It doesn't get over .. 
6" tops, I'd say.  It isn't dense especially, but it's quite 
interesting.  In late summer it sends up a 9" stalk with a 
lavender chive-like bloom and the "leaves" are quite flat 
compared with most Alliums.   As far as I know it is hardy to Z4 
and would have no objection whatever to alkaline soil.  I grow 
it here in a section of my garden that is Z5.  It's been plonked 
into very poor rock/clay &  thriving.

Here is a list of some of the other plants I use that flow onto 
or border my flag paths that I think might work:  a slew 
of various creeping thymes, from incredibly smooth mats in 
greens from grey to emerald to variegated and slightly wirey 
standing at around 4" high, Jaisone, Aubrieta, Saponaria esp. 
'Max Frei' where it flows over an 8" river rock edging, a wide
variety of lovely little Dianthus mostly clovey-scented pinks 
with nice, tidy spiky foliage that I never do a thing to but 
divide when I want more & clip the long stems after blooming.

The Dianthus *love* soil on the alkaline side, as does the 
Jaisone and the thymes don't seem to care about much but good 
drainage.

HTH,
Jaime
Carol Cramer <cramer@pld.com> wrote:

> This is the second year we have used the blue fescue grass as a
> mini-hedge to border a flagstone walk -- and  the front of a couple of
> perennial beds....
> 
> have decided by now that we don't like it --  too much "housekeeping" to
> keep it looking like a neat if tiny hedge.  
> 
> live in zone 5 -- hot summer temps and alkaline soil.  Winters vary from
> mild to sub zero..   What replacement "hedge" or other materials would
> any of you suggest?
> 
> thanks...
> 
> 
> Carol
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jknoble@warwick.net
NW NJ, zone 6/5
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