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Fescue grasses have long been workhorses: The variety ‘Kentucky 31’ helped restore Dust Bowl landscapes in the 1930s.
Strikingly beautiful, fescues are just as useful in a home garden. Ornamental varieties such as the evergreen Festuca mairei grow in clumps (meaning they won’t push, choke, or bully their more delicate garden-mates), mixing happily with wildflowers in a no-mow meadow. But beware: Fescues are typically cool-season grasses, prone to going dormant in summer heat. Design with this in mind.