LAWN GRASSES

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Grasses are successful as lawns as they form a dense evergreen sward and can withstand regular mowing and some degree of drought. There are many different types of lawn grasses which can be used in combination to find a perfect grass surface for your needs.


The success of your lawn will depend on selecting the right type of grass variety for the use and maintenance of your lawn, as well as the drainage, soil type and aspect of your plot.  So whether you wish for a perfect croquet lawn, a football pitch or a wildflower meadow then grass seed mixtures are available to suit your requirements.

Chewings fescue

The following grass seeds are found in common lawn mixtures:
Festuca rubra commutata - Chewings fescue

Festuca rubra rubra - creeping red fescue

Festuca longifolia - hard fescue

Agrostsis tenuis - Browntop bent

Lolium perenne - perennial ryegrass 

Poa pratensis - smooth stalked meadow grass.

Poa trivialis - rough stalked meadow grass

Poa nemoralis - Wood meadow grass

Cynosurus cristatus - Crested dogstail

Phleum pratense bertolonii - smaller catstail

High profile lawns
80% chewings fescue (Festuca rubra commutata)
20% browntop bent (Agrostis tenuis)
High profile lawns are best suited for areas of low pedestrian traffic with little or no wear.  This grass blade is fine and is  best kept closely mown to a height of 5-10mm. This type of lawn best suits a well drained full sun position.


Croquet lawns
40% chewings fescue
40% creeping red fescue
20% browntop bent
This lawn will tolerate occassional wear and should be mown to a height of 10-15mm.  Red fescue is tougher than other two species but does not like a low mowing height.

Perennial ryegrass

Amenity lawn

50% creeping red fescue

10% browntop bent

40% perennial ryegrass

This is a good general purpose lawn that will is suitable for most uses, including children's games and medium pedestrian traffic.  The introduction of rye grass in this mixture makes the sward coarser and tougher. This means the lawn needs to be cut more often in spring and summer but will also withstand being unmown for a period of time.

Hard wearing lawn
20% creeping red fescue
80% perennial ryegrass
This lawn mixture produces a hard wearing sward that can be cut on a regular basis. The predominate ryegrass is a thicker, tougher grass variety that will withstand high levels of pedestrian use. It is particularly suitable for use on football pitches or high traffic areas.


Shady lawn
40% creeping red fescue
10% brown top bent
30% meadow grass
No lawn can grow completely in the shade. However, partial shady areas can be successfully under planted with a lawn.

Smooth stalked meadow grass

Low maintenance lawns
15% brown top bent
55% creeping red fescue
15% hard fescue
15% smooth stalked meadow grass
Dwarf growing turf varieties are ideal on banks or areas where mowing is difficult or you wish to cut less frequently. This lawn will not tolerate a low cutting height so ensure a minimum height of 20 mm.

Wildflower meadow
80% grass seed:
35% Hard fescue
20% Crested Dogs tail
20% Fine fescue
10% Smooth stalked meadow grass
10% Smaller cats tail
5% Brown top bent
20% wildflower seed:

Ox-eye Daisy leucanthemum vulgare, Agrimony agrimonia eupatoria, Birdsfoot trefoil lotus corniculatus, Bulbous Buttercup ranuncaulus bulbosus, Corn Chamomile Anthemis arvensis, Corn Cockle Agrostemma githago, Corn Marigold Chrysanthemum segetum, Common Knapweed centaurea nigra, Common Sorrel rumex acetosa, Cornflower Centaurea cyanus, Cowslip primula veris, Field Poppy Papaver rhoeas, Field Scabious knautia arvensis, Greater Knapweed centaurea scabiosa,Hay Rattle rhinanthus minor, Ladies Bedstraw galium verum, Meadow Buttercup ranunculus acris, Meadow Cranesbill garanium pratense, Musk Mallow malva moschata, Ribwort Plantain plantago lanceolata, Self Heal Prunella vugaris, White Campion silene alba, Yarrow achillea millefolium

This mixture consists of 80% meadow grass seeds and 20% meadow plant seeds.  When creating a wildflower lawn it is best to spray the whole area off to be seeded and use this mixture rather than trying to establish wildflowers in an existing lawn.

For related articles click onto:

Grass maintenance - laying turf
Grass maintenance - sowing a lawn from seed
Lawn care
How to grow a lawn from seed
Weeding
Paths - Brick paving
Preparing a seed bed
Potagers
Soil structure