Festuca glauca 'Boulder Blue'

'Boulder Blue' is one of those dream plants that make you wonder how you ever gardened without it. Evergreen and utterly carefree, it gleams with silvery-blue foliage year-round, held in a little cascading mound so neat and pretty, visitors will think you trimmed it! And it stands up to everything from drought to poor soil ? in fact, it's the perfect edging, accent, or groundcover for those hard-to-plant areas where the hose doesn't reach or other plants are unhappy. Give it good drainage and some sunshine, and your work is done!

Just 8 inches high and 8 to 10 inches wide, 'Boulder Blue' is a richer, bluer shade of blue than other Fescues, and its habit is even neater than this already-tidy family's! It won't green out during the worst summer heat, and it very gradually gets larger over time. This is a plant that lives for many, many years, flourishing in conditions that would make others turn up their leaves and die!

Plant 'Boulder Blue' alongside Sedum for a knock-'em-dead silver and purple combination, or in front of charming, fragrant Lilac Shrub. It's so tough that it tends to be placed in positions you'd never dream of for other plants ? such as along the edge of the baking-hot cement driveway, or edging those distant garden corners that never seem to get watered. 'Boulder Blue' loves a challenge! To make sure your plants have a long and happy life, give them adequate water the first year, so that they can get established in the garden. A little pampering now (which is nothing more than ordinary care for other plants!) will pay off for many seasons to come! Space plants 8 to 10 inches apart and prepare to be delighted. Zones 4-8.