Few things in life are as beautiful as a lawn that’s well cared for. What’s the secret to success? One of the most important parts of having a gorgeous lawn actually happens before you even start planting: choosing the right types of grass for your home. Different grasses have specific strengths and weaknesses that deliver amazing performance for cool and warm climates. Here is a list of grass types including some of the most popular options:
List of Popular Cool Season Grasses
Kentucky Bluegrass
The quintessential grass for homes in the northern U.S., Kentucky bluegrass offers rapid and thick growth with wide blades. It’s soft and welcoming for everything from having a backyard barbecue to letting kids play around with their friends. One of the biggest draws of Kentucky bluegrass is its signature deep green hue with a tinge of blue. Thanks to amazing durability and excellent root penetration, this type of grass works well both for sod and seed.
Fine Fescue
Fine fescue varieties excel where bluegrass doesn’t: in shade. This finely-tipped grass grows quickly even in shade, and it gives the lawn a subtle green appearance. It has an excellent softness for when you want to lay down and look at the afternoon sky.
Ryegrass
This type of grass is wider than other northern varieties. It has a signature shine and white accents among its dark green blades. Ryegrass works well anywhere around the house, and it grows quickly. It looks brilliant and healthy with minimal watering. Ryegrass is popular in cool areas of the central U.S., but not too far north since it can have difficulties with freezing weather.
Types of Warm Season Grasses
Bermuda Grass
Extra maintenance translates into a truly stunning lawn. This type of grass is pointed, thick and delicate, and it stands up to many different mowing heights. Bermuda grass looks and feels luxurious to the senses. As long as you’ve got someone helping you out with regular fertilizing, mowing and watering, this is the warm season grass of choice for much of the South.
Centipede Grass
This horizontally growing grass variety reaches snugly into every contour of the landscaping. It forms the perfect backdrop for gardens, backyard entertainment areas and other outdoor structures with its thick carpet of bright green blades.
Dichondra
This special grass has curious rounded leaves. It grows on thin vines that stretch across the ground, forming a soft, beautiful carpet of greenery. Dichondra requires lots of watering and fertilizer to grow strong, but the payoff is worth it for a unique landscaping look.
Zoysia Grass
The texture of Zoysia is different than other home grasses; it has a pointed blade that feels stiff and firm. Zoysia also features great temperature resistance and limited watering requirements. The one drawback of this popular grass is its slow growth rate from seed. It takes plenty of patience and tender care to establish a complete lawn of zoysia grass, but the results are definitely worth the wait.
How To Choose the Best Types of Grass
The best types of grass for your home depend on several factors:
- Where you live
- What kind of activities you have in mind
- Local humidity and rainfall
- Average warm and cool weather temperatures
- How many shade trees you have
There are many different types of grass that are popular with homeowners around the U.S., so it’s a good idea to speak with the professionals at Lush Lawn for local grass recommendations. The friendly lawn experts comprising our lawn care services can help you choose one or more seed types to deliver a dense, cozy and brilliant lawn around your entire house.