Cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue, and tall fescue thrive in the Oregon Coast’s mild summers and cold winters.
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: Good in cold weather
Kentucky bluegrass resists cold better than other cool-season grasses and is an excellent choice for the Oregon Coast. This cool-season grass looks beautiful with its dense, dark-green leaves and has a medium-fine texture that’s soft on bare feet. Kentucky bluegrass is durable and can self-repair because it spreads by rhizomes.
Even if you have large trees in your yard, you can grow Kentucky bluegrass because it can withstand partial shade. However, this grass requires regular watering.
Check out our guide for more on growing Kentucky bluegrass.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✓ Looks beautiful ✓ Withstands foot traffic ✓ Excellent ability to self-repair ✓ Soft underfootSpreads quickly | ✗ Requires frequent watering and fertilization ✗ Doesn’t tolerate shade ✗ Prone to thatch buildup, diseases, and pests ✗ Takes longer to germinate |
Grass Seed Options:
– Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed (3 lbs.)
– SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
Perennial ryegrass: Establishes quickly
Perennial ryegrass performs well on the Oregon Coast, though it isn’t as winter-hardy as Kentucky bluegrass and fescues. This grass germinates quickly in 5 to 7 days and has fine-textured, dark green leaves. Perennial ryegrass grows vigorously in spring and fall.
This cool-season grass grows best in full sun but can handle partial shade and requires regular watering. Perennial ryegrass doesn’t have rhizomes to self-repair but can withstand high-foot traffic. We recommend overseeding perennial ryegrass with Kentucky bluegrass or fine fescue at a 75:25 ratio to give your lawn a dense appearance.
Check out our guide for more on growing perennial ryegrass.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✓ Germinates quickly ✓ Handles heavy foot traffic ✓ Resists thatch buildup ✓ Feels soft underfoot ✓ Low mowing requirements | Looks patchy Doesn’t tolerate shade Poor ability to recover from damages Prone to diseases and insects Spreads slowly |
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed (choose your size)
Fine fescue: Doesn’t require much maintenance
Fine fescue grasses like chewings fescue, hard fescue, sheep fescue, slender creeping red fescue, and strong creeping red fescue perform well in the cool winters of Newport, Lincoln City, and Astoria. These grasses are the softest of all cool-season grasses, are easy to care for, and look beautiful with fine-textured, medium-green grass blades.
These cool-season grasses can survive with just four hours of dappled sunlight and grow vigorously in spring and fall. However, fine fescues don’t withstand heavy foot traffic and can’t self-repair; creeping red fescue is an exception because it spreads by rhizomes.
Check out our guide for more on growing fine fescue.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✓ Looks beautiful ✓ Germinates quickly ✓ Resists shade ✓ Withstands drought ✓ Soft underfoot ✓ Low fertilizer and maintenance needs | ✗ Poor ability to recover from damages ✗ Spreads slowly ✗ Susceptible to diseases and pests ✗ Not resilient to foot traffic |
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.)
Tall fescue: Best for hot areas
Tall fescue is an excellent choice for Lincoln City, Astoria, and Bandon, where summer temperatures reach the low to mid-70s. This cool-season grass looks beautiful with medium to dark green leaves but grows patchy, which you can fix by overseeding with Kentucky bluegrass at a 50:50 ratio. Tall fescue grows vigorously in spring and fall.
This grass grows best in full sun but can withstand partial shade. The coarse-textured grass blades of tall fescue withstand foot traffic relatively well, but it doesn’t self-repair because it’s bunch-forming. Tall fescue has an extensive root system and resists drought exceptionally well.
Check out our guide for more about growing tall fescue.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✓ Germinates quickly ✓ Withstands foot traffic ✓ Resists thatch buildup ✓ Withstands drought ✓ Resists shade ✓ Resists diseases | ✗ Looks patchy ✗ Poor ability to recover from damages ✗ Requires frequent mowing ✗Spreads slowly |
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.)
For more on Oregon grasses
Check out the links below to learn about the best grass types for other regions of Oregon:
The Best Grass Seed for Oregon
The Best Grass Seed for Central Oregon
The Best Grass Seed for Southern Oregon
The Best Grass Seed for Willamette Valley
FAQs
What’s the best time to plant grass on the Oregon Coast?
Early fall, when the temperature ranges from 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, is the best time to plant cool-season grasses on the Oregon Coast. Check out our guide on when to plant grass seed in Oregon for more information.
What planting zone is the Oregon Coast?
Knowing your planting zone helps you identify plants that thrive in your region. The Oregon Coast is located in zones 8b, 9a, and 9b, which means winter temperatures can drop to as low as 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Check out our guide on growing zones of Oregon for more information.
When to hire a professional
Need help choosing the right cool-season grass? Lawn Love pros can help. They can also help you with other lawn maintenance activities to make your yard stand out in your neighborhood.
More Lawn Care and Landscaping Resources for Oregon:
- Oregon Native Plants for Landscaping
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Main Image Credit: Jon Roanhaus | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0
