My Husband wanted me to ask this:

Could someone tell him the best kind of grass to plant in shady areas. I know he doesn't want to spend an arm and a leg for it. Any help would be appreciated. He is always asking me what I have learned on Dave's today, or go ask Dave. I hope I am on the right form for this.

Linda

I planted this in full sun but it seems it is good for filtered shade too.

http://www.protimelawnseed.com/fleur_de_lawn.htm

Been very happy with it. It grows a little longer with regular watering.

The also have some other mixes. Be careful that the yarrow is not too invasive in your area

This message was edited Jun 8, 2005 7:48 PM

I'm planning to redo my front yard this fall using a mix of the fine fescue and bluegrass. I'd have to look it up but one of those does well in shadier areas and since my lawn has a sort of shady area on half of it, I figured to mix the two so as just to sow one seed mix overall. I reseeded my back yard last year with a tall fescue and it's done well but I wanted a nicer looking grass for the front. I was lucky that last year was such a nice cool wet year because usually you need to seed here in the fall to get a good root system going before that hot summer weather hits.

I'm planning just to get a bag of each type of seed over at Walmart and mix them. It will only cost about 25 dollars for the two bags.

Mobi, Vashur thank you both for the come back my DH is checking them out, you answered his question. He just told me that I knew someone at Dave's would be able to head me down the right path. We live in the country, and he just cleared out an area of bush and small trees and there are areas that there isn't much grass. So when it rains we have a lot of mud. Or when he mows he has a dust storm, he said it would make it look better plus be easier for him if he got some grass going in there, instead of waiting for the prairie grass to grow. That's about all the kind of grass we have and of course there is crab grass. eck.

Linda

Hi Linda
This is what was recommended in the Master Gardeners course for shade grass:
Fine leaf fescues-
creepng red fescue (spreading) cultivars
chewings fescue (bunch) cultivars
hard fescue (bunch-type) cultivars

I know nothing about any of these, just typing it from our text. :)

Thanks Kooger, all of you have been a great help.

Your choice to plant will also be dependant on whether you want to water it also. I didn't realize you lived out in the country and was maybe wanting a grass type that would survive on it's own here. I think that most of what I've seen out in the countryside for low maintenance coverage is more like a rough bermuda type. I've heard it called buffalo bermuda. The fescues will need watering here cause we just don't get enough rain at the right times. It needs about an inch a week. I dislike the bermudas not only because they are so invasive but they spend a big portion of the year in an ugly yellow dormant state. :)

edited for spelling

This message was edited Jun 9, 2005 8:50 AM

Creeping red fescure is what we are going to plant in our back yard. Zoysia does really good but it is real susceptible to rust. For fall shade rye grass does well. (I am going by what I have seen at my parents house and what has done good in my zone) Don't quote me on it! lol

If buffalo burmuda is the same as buffalo grass it is an option but stays brown most of the year. I had a neigbor who had it but it was green for only about 2 months, the rest of the time it was in dormancy and was ugly. He finally ripped it up because he couldn't stand it either. The fleur de lawn I have only needs water in severe droughts, with the exception of getting it established. But there are some nice grasses out there for shade. If mowing will be minimal you might want to stick to the low growing grasses.

I will let my husband read all this tonight and let him decide what he wants to do. He just might choose to leave it and see if it will fill in with what junk grass we have right now. Sending a photo, the area is in the middle and to the left that he is concerned about.