Luscious Lawns
A Guide for Selecting the Right Grass

There’s nothing like your lawn…In the art of the landscape, it is the canvas upon which we paint. And, a nice green lawn is what a yard is all about. It’s a resting place, a natural cushioning carpet around our home.

If you lawn seems to be struggling, you might be trying to grow the wrong grass. Maintaining a lawn is easy in good soil in the sun, but most of us are not so lucky. So, how can you keep your lawn looking good and trouble-free?

To start, you may want to ask yourself a few questions:

1. Will there be a lot of traffic from you, your pets or any neighbors?

2. How much time and energy do you want to devote to developing a great lawn?

3. How much water is available? Are there occasional droughts when water use is limited?

4. Is your site in full sun? part shade? Full shade?

Choose Your Grass Carefully

Different grasses have different needs. With a basic understanding of the plants in your lawn – their habits and requirements- you’ll be able to choose the right grass for your site. And, this is the first step in building a foundation for a luscious lawn.

As no one type of grass is perfect, we recommend mixtures of grass seed to create that picture perfect lawn. Let us help you decide what is best for your location.

Kentucky bluegrass
This is the most cold-hardy of all turf grasses with a fine texture and dense, thick turf. It requires regular watering to maintain its bright color through hot, dry seasons. If needs more fertilizing and more frequent mowing then other grasses. Most varieties do not tolerate shade. Although once disease prone, there are many new varieties that have good resistance. Poa Trivialis (rough bluegrass) grows well in shade, but does not tolerate full sun or drought.

Perennial ryegrass
A good low-maintenance choice for lawns subject to a lot of traffic, can be mowed closely or left to grow long. New varieties have more insect resistance than any other species, but require more maintenance. Perennial ryegrasses do not do well in shade, extreme heat or cold and drought.

Turf-type tall fescues
They prefer high mowing and can grow rapidly in spring. New varieties stay green throughout the growing season with little fertilizer. Most tolerate a broad range of pH and are drought resistant. These qualities make tall fescue a great choice the low-maintenance lawns.

Fine fescues
Chewing fescues are among the most shade tolerant grasses. It is susceptible to disease when the weather is hot and wet, and does not withstand heavy use well. Red fescue is very shade and drought tolerant, but it takes less heat than other fescues. It is susceptible to diseases during hot summers.

How Grasses Measure Up