The possibility of growing grasses of higher quality than tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) in a continental climate with cold winters, hot summers and low precipitation was investigated with and without irrigation at Taigu, Shanxi, China. Tall fescue was compared with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) and a perennial ryegrass × meadow fescue hybrid cultivar in field swards, managed by cutting, during the year of sowing and in the three subsequent years. Tall fescue persisted satisfactorily throughout the experiment, even without irrigation. With irrigation, the other three grasses persisted satisfactorily to the end of the second harvest year and fairly satisfactorily to the end of the third harvest year. Without irrigation, the other three grasses had incomplete ground cover in the second harvest year and did not recover from the third winter.