I am in N. Ga and am trialing creeping red fescue in a part shade area. It has performed great but it may not be what most people are after. It is the finest bladed grass you will ever find. Almost like hair. So by itself is not the most traffic tolerant. It fertilizer requirement has been low but not as low as I'd like. It grows pretty darn vigorously, even though its first summer and haven't had not any major signs of stress from either drought or high temperatures. It's green and growing and I even have some in full sun that looks good. It's tolerated wet soils due to a drainage issue without any fungus so far, knock on wood. I'm using the variety 'Florentine' which is a highly rated grass. The color is excellent, very dark. and the seed is not very expensive. The appearance looks sort of what you'd expect in some Scottish meadow or something if left to grow kind of longish. Since it tolerates close mowing also, you can cut it down to 0.5" and also get that putting green effect with it but I would definitely plant it at a slightly higher planting rate if you want to do that. The clumps do not spread out like tall fescue. Establishment was a total pain in the butt. It took forever and the winter color was not so wonderful during the coldest part of winter but perhaps this was because I didn't expect to have to fertilize it as much as it wants to be fertilized. Creeping red fescue is native to Georgia. Definitely worth a try. I will be planting a lot more of it this fall. I see if I can find the photos I had but yahoo photo albums whent out of business.

There are several reasons why fine fescue appeals to me. The first reason is that it isn't an a pest plant that is impossible to kill and spreads to unwanted places. The next reason is that it has a unique appearance. You can get that ultra dark green cool season lawn here if you want. Whether you want KBG or TTTF, there's nothing all that different about it. But creeping red just seems to glow in the dark. It's not the darkest green by far but there's just something about it that makes it kind of sparkle. If I was wanting the look of a New England KBG lawn, I wouldn't choose fine fescue. I like the look of lawns in the UK. Here's an and here's And fine fescue is most commonly what is used in UK lawns from what I understand. The other reason that I like it is that it's low maintenance. I also like the versatility. If you would like to have that plush look of an Scottish paddock then you can let it grow long. If you want it to have the appearance of a Croquet court then you can mow it short with your reel mower. And you can also mix it with bent for extra density and durability. Now for the drawbacks. Surely there had to be some. It's not the longest lived turf around. Germination can take 15+ days. Establishment also takes a long time. After you seed in the fall it just kind of sits there for lack of a better description, until spring then it really takes off. I'm not going to say it's not traffic tolerant because I really do believe that if you are into lawn care and you do not give your lawn excessive wear in any one particular area it will not be harmed and fine fescue is no exception. If you search back in the forum for the terms "AJ and FF" you will see where AJ was making some fine fescue recommendations for me and others. Unfortunately I had a hard time finding those varieties but the florentine has proven itself and I wanted to try some hard fescue also so John was able to scrounge up some of this auraroa gold. I think it is uncertified. So with that said if you have a variety that did well from southern states try that. It costs a fortune to ship 50# of seed from the west coast. I also noticed that Lowes carries large bags of Pennington CRF pretty cheap. It is usually the boreal CRF. That stuff wasn't real high ranking on the trials.

You need to irrigate it. In a full sun situation with drought and record heat, this isn't optional. Even Zoysia would need irrigation to look good in full sun/compacted clay but it probably wouldn't die. Creeping red fescue and other fine fescues tolerate a dry shade and grow well in that setting in our climate. I've been able to keep it alive with very little irrigation and very little shade but I have used a proven variety that has ranked high in full sun test plots. That's why I suggested it in the other thread. With the creeping red fescue that you find in big box stores those varieties aren't so great and usually chock full of weeds. What I would suggest that you do if you can commit to watering 1" a week (once or twice a week) and in the morning during spring/summer, mowing higher in the summer, is to see if your local Home Depot has the Lesco Transition blend of Tall Fescue. The brands you have used were decent varieties too (except for the kentucky 31). This weekend (weather permitting), aerate, scalp-mow the existing grass even if it's dead. Overseed at the recommended rate and water several times a day until germination then cut back your watering. Great tall fescue lawns are not made overnight. They take a couple of years until the drought and heat tolerance is realized and performance is better. So during that time you need to baby it the most to get it to the point that it will be durable, attractive and long lived. And plant some more trees to provide afternoon shade. Here is a link that might be useful: Look over this F.A.Q.

Creeping fescue may be great for some areas and/or desired types of lawn, but I have concerns about mine. I like nice tall, single-blade grasses but I have something that has invaded that turns my lawn into a mat of grass that is all interconnected at the roots. It takes over entire portions of my lawn, and while green in the summer, it dies and turns brown all winter and early spring. Hard to get rid of too. I'm trying to eliminate this creeping grass, and beginning to wonder if I didn't introduce it myself through seeding. Not sure if this is bermuda grass, centipede grass or creeping fescue. Photos would be helpful. And tips on how to get rid of whatever it is. Lots of interconnecting roots..... Thanks!!!