There’s no better way to add curb appeal to your already-gorgeous home than to complement it with a lush, green lawn that stays beautiful throughout the season. When selecting a grass type for your Lancaster lawn, keep in mind, our cooler climate will most likely restrict you to growing cool-season grasses. While warm-season grasses can grow here, these grass types will likely go dormant in the spring and fall, when you really want to enjoy your lawn. For best results, select one of these grass types for shady areas in Lancaster, PA:
1. Tall Fescue
- Mowing Height: 2”-3”
- Drought Tolerance: High
- Shade Tolerance: High
- Traffic Tolerance: Average
A common choice for turfs, tall fescue is a durable grass that’s ideal for the low-maintenance gardener. It has a dark green color and tends to bunch. Tall Fescue can be slow to establish, but it’s the most heat and drought-tolerant. It can also thrive in the shade and grows best in well-drained soils.
Grass Seed Options:
– Triple-Play Tall Fescue Grass Seed Blend (5000 sq ft)
– Eretz Kentucky 31 K31 Tall Fescue Grass Seed (choose your size)
– Pennington The Rebels Tall Fescue Grass Seed Mix (7 lb.)
2. Fine Fescue
- Mowing Height: 1 ½”-2 ½”
- Drought Tolerance: High
- Shade Tolerance: High
- Traffic Tolerance: Poor
Fine Fescue covers a broad category of grass species, including hard Fescue and Chewings Fescue. Fescues are common grass types, producing attractive, even mats of medium-green color. They can tolerate just about any soil type but prefer cooler, shadier environments. As with other cool-season grasses, fine fescue becomes dormant during hot temperatures.
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Legacy Fine Fescue Grass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz Creeping Red Fine Fescue Seed (choose your size)
– Outsidepride Creeping Red Fine Fescue Grass Seed (25 lbs.)
– Outsidepride Hard Fine Fescue Grass Seed (10 lbs.)
3. Perennial Ryegrass
- Mowing Height: 1 ½”-2 ½”
- Drought Tolerance: High
- Shade Tolerance: Poor
- Traffic Tolerance: High
Perennial ryegrass is one of the more popular options for lawns, but this dark green grass doesn’t grow well in shady areas when grown in isolation. Because it’s so durable, it is a good option for interseeding with other grass types to increase your lawn’s durability and resilience to disease.
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed (choose your size)
4. Kentucky Bluegrass
Kentucky Bluegrass is also a good choice for interseeding with Fescues, but it doesn’t tolerate shade in Lancaster, so we don’t recommend it as a stand-alone grass.
Grass Seed Options:
– Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed (3 lbs.)
– SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Jacklin Seed – Biltmore Blue Blend – 100% Kentucky Bluegrass (5 lbs.)
Ready to start your Lancaster lawn care this season? Consider these options for your shady lawn and you’ll be growing a gorgeous, verdant turf in no time.
Need help choosing the right grass for your lawn? Visit our Lancaster lawn care page for more information!
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