Western North Carolina, where the hills ascend into the great Appalachian Mountain range and the winter air is chillier, favors cool-season grasses like perennial ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescue.
Cool-season grasses perform best here because they tolerate cold without losing their color and charm. However, the growing conditions may differ slightly in the peaks and valleys. We’re going to dive deeper into each grass type so you can pick what suits you best.
Why cool-season grasses work here
Thanks to the elevation, western North Carolina enjoys four seasons. The temperatures can drop into the teens in January and as high as 85 degrees in July and August. Cold-hardy grasses will hold their ground (quite literally) in these cool, elevated regions of the state.
Cool-season cultivars grow best during spring and fall, when the temperatures hover around 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Those are the best times to plant grass seed here.
For instance, Asheville is just over 2,000 ft above sea level but has a significantly different climate than the lower-lying cities surrounding it. The best-performing grasses for Asheville include cool-season varieties like Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue.
Cool-season grasses don’t do well in prolonged heat. And while western North Carolina summers get warm, they don’t usually get hot enough, long enough, to harm these grasses.
Our best picks for cool-season grasses include:
Perennial ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass has fine, glossy blades and is fairly drought-tolerant, allowing it to thrive in areas with mild winters and moderate summers like we experience in Western Carolina weather..
And if your lawn gets full sun during the hottest parts of the day, this sun-loving grass might be your pick.
In North Carolina, perennial ryegrass is never seeded on its own. Typically, it’s mixed with other grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass or fescues because of its ability to establish itself quickly.
Also, this grass type is ideal for preventing soil erosion as it spreads vertically and compacts itself when growing.
Some characteristics of perennial ryegrass to know before you make the final decision:
Scientific name: Lolium perenne
Foot traffic tolerance level: High
Spreads by: Bunch-type
Shade tolerance: Low
Drought tolerance: Moderate
Maintenance needs: Moderate
Vulnerability to disease: High. Commonly affected by leaf spot and red thread
Preferred soil type: Well-draining and fertile, but tolerant of poor draining soil too
Recommended mowing height: 1.5 – 2.5 inches
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed (choose your size)
Kentucky bluegrass
This is another hardy grass that is famous for its fine texture and impressive ability to recover quickly from damage. Kentucky bluegrass is easily one of the most popular grass types for Western North Carolina homeowners who like dense and durable lawns.
This grass develops a beautiful dark green color and a medium-fine texture. It prefers full sun but does fine in shade, too, and becomes semi-dormant under prolonged periods of heat or drought.
Kentucky bluegrass handles plenty of foot traffic, too, making it ideal for a home with pets and kids. It will, however, require more mowing than other cool-season cultivars because it grows fast.
Check out this Kentucky bluegrass lawn care calendar for more about how to get the most out of this turf.
Scientific name: Poa pratensis
Foot traffic tolerance level: Low to moderate, but recuperates quickly
Spreads by: Rhizomes
Shade tolerance: Low to moderate
Drought tolerance: Moderate, survives by going dormant
Maintenance needs: Moderate to high
Vulnerability to disease: Moderate to high; susceptible to dollar spot, summer patch, and necrotic ring spot
Preferred soil type: Well-drained and highly fertile
Recommended mowing height: 2.5 – 3 inches
Grass Seed Options:
– Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed (3 lbs.)
– SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
Tall fescue
This grass will keep your lawn green year-round. Tall fescue is durable; it stands up against heat, cold, drought, and shade better than most cool-season varieties. It creates a thick, green lawn with its coarse-textured, wide-leaf blades, and it requires little maintenance to retain its beauty.
Tall fescue is also good for containing soil erosion on rolling or sloped lawns because tall fescue takes root quickly and forms a mesh that stabilizes topsoil. Safe to say, tall fescue is one of the best grass seeds in North Carolina.
Tall fescue can survive fluctuating temperatures and is also your savior in either growing conditions; partial shade or full sun. The only limitation is that tall fescue won’t tolerate heavy foot traffic since it has difficulty growing back if damaged. You’ll have to reseed any dead or thinning patches.
Scientific name: Festuca arundinacea
Foot traffic tolerance level: Low
Spreads by: Bunch-type
Shade tolerance: Moderate
Drought tolerance: Moderate to high
Maintenance needs: Low
Vulnerability to disease: Good, it’s vulnerable to gray leaf spot and brown patch
Preferred soil type: Adapted to a wide range of soils but grows best in well-draining fertile clay soils
Recommended mowing height: 3 – 3.5 inches
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
Fine fescue includes a variety of fescue grasses including hard fescue, chewing fescue, creeping red fescue, and sheep fescue. True to their name, fine fescue boasts very fine, beautiful blades.
Generally, a combination of common fescue grass seeds produces a shade-loving and drought-tolerant lawn. The grass is slow-growing and not fond of foot traffic, so stay away from fine fescues if your North Carolina lawn stays busy.
Fescue species are often mixed with Kentucky bluegrass to create a low-maintenance lawn. This works because fine fescues love shade while Kentucky bluegrass prefers sunny days, so you have a nice, green lawn year-round with this combo.
Scientific name: Festuca sp.
Foot traffic tolerance level: Low to moderate, depending on the species
Spreads by: Bunch-type
Shade tolerance: High
Drought tolerance: Moderate to high, depending on species
Maintenance needs: Low
Vulnerability to disease: Moderate; susceptible to dollar spot, red thread, and powdery mildew
Preferred soil type: Drier soils but will tolerate sandy or infertile soils too
Recommended mowing height: 1 – 3 inches
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.)
Still confused?
Right grass for an elevated region like the west of the state is a challenging choice to make, followed by the dilemma of “where do I even start?”
If you’re in a similar situation or just need a lawn expert’s advice, call in a pro to help. The pros know the ins and outs of Western North Carolina soils, plants, and climate.
Main Image Credit: Stilfehler | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0
