Blue fescue is a small ornamental grass that grows in tight, tufted domes of silvery-blue, needle-fine blades, about 8 to 10 inches tall and wide. The steel-blue color holds year-round as an evergreen accent, with slender flower spikes rising above the mound in early summer.

It insists on sharp drainage; a lean, gravelly spot in part sun suits it here, with a little afternoon relief from Birmingham's strongest sun. It is deer resistant and drought tolerant. Comb out old blades in spring, and use it in ribbons for edging or dotted through rock gardens.