I have a shady-low-lying area in desperate need of grass! Any recommendations?
Where do you live?
Northern areas = fescues. No grass loves the shade, but some hate it less than others. In northern US climates, choose fescue over rye and blue.
Grass is often packaged in ‘shady mixes’ or ‘sunny mixes’. Don’t be surprised if you get a fescue/rye/blue blend, as each species has been bred to get different types.
Generally, you are okay with turf type tall fescues and creeping fescues.
Dense shade + tree roots = buy ‘ground cover’, not grass!
Fescue is the usual answer for shade, but some really shady areas won’t grow any kind of grass. If that’s your situation, you can plant verbena or some other shade-loving ground cover.
We had a spot like that. It was at the back of the house where the hose spigot was. It was always muddy. So I finally said screw it and put down paving blocks.
I may try the fescue… but the groundcover idea sounds really good, too! I’m head’n to Home depot now!
Where do you live? what is your climate? THere are thousands of options.
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Where do you live? what is your climate? THere are thousands of options.[/QUOT
near dallas.
There are a lot of fescues out there. Most don’t do well in shade. The best for very shady areas is “creeping red fescue”. Some “shade” mixes include a tiny bit of it, steer clear of those.
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Near Dallas? That is my neighborhood. I will tell you that I have had really good luck with putting out St. Augustine grass in places that are shady. It mows well and you just get some sod, lay it down, water the hell out of it, it will look like dead grass, then it will bolt right up.
It works well for me, I have almost 5 acres of it now.
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wow, you have 5 acres of St. Augustine grass! must look great!
St. Augustine grass was also suggested by folks at Home Depot, but they said I’d have to plant individual plugs (well that ain’t happen’n!) since they didn’t have sod available… I thought it odd that they wouldn’t have any by now. I think laying down the sod is the best idea! I’ll check for it at Lowe’s garden center tomorrow.
thanks!
You probably won’t be able to find St. Augustine sod this time of the year.
When night time temperatures fall into the 40’s in the late fall, it goes dormant and sod farms stop harvesting it. It should become available again sometime in April. Its also more expensive that Tall Fescue.
You can plant it right into your existing grass and it will take over the lawn in no time. Cut one foot squares of the St. Augustine sod and cut a similar size square in your existing lawn and remove it. The St, Augustine squares can be planted one foot or even two feet apart depending on how patient you are and how quickly you want it to fill in.
You should also know that St. Augustine will lose its beautiful green color in the fall and that it won’t return until the nights warm up in the spring.
The entire area behind my house is shady in the summer. Over a year ago I planted fescue in one section, and did inexpensive annual rye in the rest just for green in the winter. The fescue survived not only the winter but the summer too. The rye looked great until about May then the heat/shade killed it.
I have St Augustine in the front where I have sprinklers, but it takes a lot more water.