It’s hard to compete with Portland’s natural beauty — from it’s scenic waterways to its parks like the International Rose Test Garden, Hoyt Arboretum, and Portland Japanese Garden. It’s enough to inspire you to take your backyard habitat to the next level. It all starts with planting the right grass for your home to make your backyard shine.
Our picks for the best turfgrasses for Portland are:
These cool-season grasses will thrive in Portland’s coastal climate. Keep reading to find out which type is best suited to your home’s environment.
1. Kentucky bluegrass
Brenda Ryan | Lawn Love
This medium-textured grass has a signature dark blue-green turf. If you like to entertain friends and family, don’t worry – this grass tolerates foot traffic. It grows well in a wide range of soils, but if you have any sandy soils with a pH below 5.5, lime application is helpful. It also works well mixed with perennial ryegrass or fescues to make a more lush-looking lawn.
- Classification: Cool-season grass
- Spreads by: Rhizomes
- Shade tolerance: Moderate; aim for four to six hours of sun
- Drought tolerance: Moderate; needs at least 2 inches of water a week
- Foot traffic tolerance: High
- Maintenance needs: Medium to high. This grass needs annual dethatching and nitrogen fertilization.
- Mowing height: 2-3 inches
- Potential for disease: Moderate with proper mowing and fertilization, high with lower mowing heights
Other notes: In order for strong roots to develop, the best time to plant this grass is in the fall when temperatures drop to between 50-65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grass Seed Options:
– Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed (3 lbs.)
– SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Jacklin Seed – Biltmore Blue Blend – 100% Kentucky Bluegrass (5 lbs.)
2. Colonial bentgrass
Colonial bentgrass usually requires a lot of maintenance, but it thrives in Portland’s coastal landscape. It creates a soft, dense turf with fine blades and a light green color.
This grass will easily take over lawns in Portland. Most mature lawns have significant bentgrass growth whether intentional or not. With suitable irrigation and mowing, this turfgrass will still produce a high-quality lawn in the summer.
- Classification: Cool-season grass
- Spreads by: Rhizomes
- Shade tolerance: Moderate
- Drought tolerance: Moderate; will go dormant in a drought
- Foot traffic tolerance: Low
- Maintenance needs: Moderate; requires regular irrigation and light dethatching followed by coring
- Mowing height: .38 inches-1 inch
- Potential for disease: Low. The most common diseases can be partially controlled by fertilizing with 3-4 pounds of sulfur 1,000 square feet per year.
Other notes: Ideally, homeowners should mow with a reel mower instead of a rotary mower to maintain the proper height.
3. Fine fescue
Matt Lavin | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0
Compared to other fescues, fine fescue has long, narrow blades and a deep green color. One of the most shade tolerant turf grasses, fine fescue will thrive in your tree-lined backyard. It can do well with low nitrogen but will respond to and maintain color better with regular applications of nitrogen fertilizer.
Expect fine fescue to dominate a mix, especially with perennial ryegrass, in three to five years.
- Classification: Cool-season grass
- Spreads by: Rhizomes or bunch-type, depending on the species
- Shade tolerance: High. This grass will do better if it’s in partial shade.
- Drought tolerance: Low
- Foot traffic tolerance: Low
- Maintenance needs: Low. Weekly mowing is best but not essential during the growing season.
- Mowing height: 1.5-2.5 inches
- Potential for disease: Moderate; watch for snow mold and fungus in wet, humid areas
Other notes: When dethatching, go for coring instead of mechanical dethatching to avoid tearing out bunches of the grass.
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.)
– Outsidepride Hard Fine Fescue Grass Seed (10 lbs.)
4. Perennial ryegrass
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Perennial ryegrass is a cool-season grass that is often mixed with other grasses like Kentucky bluegrass. As a naturally disease-resistant turf, you won’t have to worry too much about prevention. It isn’t as cold tolerant as other cool-season grasses, but it thrives in climates where the summers are moderate and the winters are cool. If you want a green lawn throughout the winter, perennial ryegrass is a good choice.
- Classification: Cool-season grass
- Spreads by: Bunch-type
- Shade tolerance: Low
- Drought tolerance: High; takes longer under drought stress to go dormant than most grasses
- Foot traffic tolerance: High
- Maintenance needs: Low; requires less dethatching than other cool-season grasses
- Mowing height: Aim for 1-2 inches
- Potential for disease: Low
Other notes: Ryegrass needs more nitrogen than other types to thrive. Monitor it closely, though, because too much nitrogen can cause excess growth.
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed (choose your size)
How to choose the best grass type for your lawn
Colonial bentgrass does well in sites with morning sun and afternoon shade, and fine fescues can thrive in continuous partial shade.
Fine fescue, perennial ryegrass, and colonial bentgrass will benefit from a reel mower.
Kentucky bluegrass will do fine under human and pet feet.
Perennial ryegrass produces the least amount of thatch so you can spend more sitting back and enjoying your outdoor space.
Is the thought of maintaining your new lawn overwhelming? Contact a Portland lawn care pro to lend a hand.
Main Photo Credit: Steven Pavlov | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0
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