The best grasses for New England lawns are cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, perennial ryegrass, and tall fescue. Seed mixes are also popular in New England.
While they all look great if maintained well, they vary in their ability to tolerate shade, drought, and foot traffic. Understanding these differences is important when choosing a grass that suits your needs and preferences.
Kentucky bluegrass
Kentucky bluegrass is great for New England because it grows quickly, recovers from damage, and survives our cold weather just fine. The grass is a lovely dark green and creates a thick, attractive lawn.
KBG grows the most in the spring and fall. It is one of my favorite cool-season varieties because I like to ground myself and walk barefoot, so the medium-fine texture feels good on my feet.
Plant or overseed KBG between mid-August and mid-October when the soil and air temperatures are optimal for the seed to germinate and grow. Depending on the state, this timeframe may be slightly different.
Learn more about growing Kentucky bluegrass.
Grass Seed Options:
– Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed (3 lbs.)
– SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
Perennial ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass is a New England favorite because it adapts well to the soil, rain, and other climatic conditions, making it one of the fastest germinating varieties for the area; it develops a lawn within a week.
Perennial ryegrass also tolerates the region’s cold winters and is the easiest seed to start a new lawn. New England homeowners love its dark green color and high foot traffic tolerance.
The only downside is that ryegrass tends to thin out and die and requires reseeding after about one to three years. It does not have rhizomes, so it does not self-repair. Water perennial ryegrass regularly to keep it from going dormant and turning brown.
Learn more about growing perennial ryegrass.
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed (choose your size)
Fescues
Tall and fine fescue are drought-tolerant, handle foot traffic, and grow well in the shade. They also require less fertilizer, water, and maintenance than other grasses.
Tall fescue’s deep root system is so extensive that it can grow in conditions other grass varieties may not thrive in, like extremely shady areas and uneven terrain. This turf type has a medium to dark green color. It grows the fastest in the spring and fall.
Learn more about growing tall fescue.
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.)
Fine fescue varieties thrive in some of the most extreme temperatures. This turf type includes bunch-type grasses like hard, Chewings, and sheep. One of the strongest varieties is creeping red fescue, which spreads by rhizomes.
Fine fescues are a good choice for areas of New England with low-fertility soil or environments where the soil does not retain moisture well. These grasses thrive in both sunny and shady yards.
Fine fescues are a favorite because they adapt to multiple soil types and sun exposure levels, have a soft texture, and are low maintenance. However, except for creeping red fescue, fescues do not self-repair.
Learn more about growing fine fescue.
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.)
Northeast grass seed mixes
Grass seed mixtures are popular in New England for creating more durable lawns. For example, the disease-resistant qualities of different grasses make the lawn less likely to be damaged or destroyed by diseases.
Seed mixtures may depend on the New England region and your yard’s conditions, but an ideal seed mixture for a shady property that receives less than four hours of sun daily is:
- A shade variety of Kentucky bluegrass: 10%
- Fine fescue: 70%
- Perennial ryegrass: 20%
Considerations when choosing a grass for your New England lawn
Most of New England’s soil is sandy or clay. Of course, things like soil type and rainfall vary across states. Your region’s climate, your yard’s characteristics, maintenance preferences, and lifestyle determine which grass seed is best for your landscape.
Consider these factors to choose the ideal grass for your home:
Drought tolerance
- Moderate drought tolerance: Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, fine fescue
- Low drought tolerance: Perennial ryegrass
Soil type
- Sandy: Fine fescue
- Silty: Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue
- Loamy: Perennial ryegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue
Shade tolerance
- Moderate shade tolerance: Tall fescue, fine fescue
- Low shade tolerance: Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass
Maintenance level
- High-maintenance grasses: Kentucky bluegrass
- Moderate-maintenance grasses: Tall fescue, perennial ryegrass
- Low-maintenance grasses: Fine fescue
Foot traffic
- High foot traffic: Perennial ryegrass,
- Moderate foot traffic: Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue
- Low foot traffic: Fine fescue
The following Lawn Love guides offer more details on the best grass seeds for each state and the best time to plant them:
- Best Grass Seed for Connecticut Lawns
- When to Plant Grass Seed in Connecticut
- Best Grass Seed for Maine Lawns
- When to Plant Grass Seed in Maine
- Best Grass Seed for Massachusetts Lawns
- When to Plant Grass Seed in Massachusetts
- Best Grass Seed for New Hampshire Lawns
- When to Plant Grass Seed in New Hampshire
- Best Grass Seed for Rhode Island Lawns
- When to Plant Grass Seed in Rhode Island
Trust the pros
Is your lawn looking rough? It may be time to give the pros a try. Lawn Love does lawns right, and at a price you can love.
Whether you’re in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, or Vermont, our lawn care pros know how to create and maintain the best lawns in the New England area.
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Main Image Credit: Pickpik
