Types of lawn

Choose the right lawn type for your conditions

5 mins reading

Whether you have an old lawn which has gotten patchy and sad and you want to start over or you have a new yard you want to transform into a green oasis. In case you are not a lawn expert, choosing the right lawn type can be tricky

Making savings at the wrong end by buying cheap, low quality seed mixes, that might not even be suited for your yard, is one of the common mistakes and will not lead to a lush and neatly looking lawn. Most important when choosing the right lawn type is, to select grasses that will thrive in your local climate and your site conditions such as sun, shade and so on. As soon as you made a first selection based on your site condition and climate, make sure you also take your life situation and the future purpose of the lawn into account. Do you maybe have kids or pets that will challenge the lawn? There are lawn types that withstand heavy usage and those that are very delicate and sensitive. Thus, make sure that the grass you choose fits to the intended use of your yard. Besides all the different lawn types to choose from there are two grass types that are most common in Europe: Dwarf ryegrass and fescues.

Dwarf ryegrass is a bred of perennial ryegrass and requires only modest maintenance. The grass has usually a dark green color and the underside of the leaf is covered in a glossy green color. Dwarf ryegrass has a shorter growth habit and thus tolerates low lawn cuttings. However, it is not suited for very hot climates and sunny areas and instead thrives best in more shaded areas.

The red fescue is a type of grass that also grows best in shaded and cool environments and which struggles in hot climates. It develops into a very neatly looking lawn and mixed with meadow grass, which will cover it from the sun, it can also compete in sunny areas. The leaves of the red fescue are in a deep green color and folded in the bud. Red fescue doesn’t require high maintenance, much fertilizer or excessive amounts of water. A high mowing cut is recommended. Slender creeping red fescue is a finer version of the red fescue. It has no problem with harsh weathers or environmental conditions. Red fescue will grow in all soils but prefers acid or waterlogged soils.  It is a relatively slow growing and stress tolerant and particularly suited to grow on free draining and neutral to calcareous soils.

Since the variety of lawn types differ in their characteristics you most commonly buy a seed mix. A lawn seed mix consists of different grass types that fulfill specific functions. The right mix depends therefore especially on the intended use of your lawn. A mix intended for shaded yards has for example a higher proportion of lawn types that thrive in that environments and vice versa.

No matter which type of lawn seeds you choose, care and patience are most important when sowing new lawn. Consider that it will take a while before the grass is strong enough so that you can make use of it. For those people who don’t have the time and the patience there is a great alternative: turf. Turf can be laid out within a few hours and thus transfers your empty yard in a green oasis in no time. In comparison to a newly sowed lawn, turf needs much less maintenance. One of the reason for it is the fact that turf usually grew about 1,5 years before it’s ready to be planted. Therefore, the grass is much stronger than newly sowed lawn and you need to worry much less about damage or weeds which could take over your lawn.

Nevertheless, make sure you also take your climate, site condition and the intended use into account when choosing the right type of turf. It is available in all varied sizes and is also ideal to use when you want to repair small patches in your lawn. The turf will integrate itself into your lawn in no time and the result is an even looking lawn. Additionally, one of the best features of turf is that it only takes about two weeks until the roots have established, and you can carefully start to use the lawn.

Pros +

• Grows fast usually within two weeks so you can make us of your garden asap
• You can plant turf during May to October
• Looks very neat right from the beginning
• The neatness of the lawn makes it hard for weeds to grow through

Cons –

• Pricey, turf costs around 10 times more than grass seeds
• Turf should be planted the same day as you received it, otherwise you run the risk of it drying out.