- Fine fescue: Blend with other grasses to strengthen lawns<\/a><\/li>
- Tall fescue: Hardy and low-maintenance<\/a><\/li>
- Kentucky bluegrass: Durable and attractive<\/a><\/li>
- Perennial ryegrass: Establishes quickly, handles heat<\/a><\/li>
- Zoysiagrass: Thrives in summer<\/a><\/li><\/ul> \t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div><\/div>
Fine fescue: Blend with other grasses to strengthen lawns<\/span><\/h2>
![\"fine](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Fine-fescue-1.jpg\")
Aaron Patton | Purdue’s Turfgrass Science Program<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Fine fescue is actually a family of grasses that includes creeping red, Chewings, hard, and sheep fescue. They are all well adapted to southeast Pennsylvania\u2019s cool climate and thrive in shady lawns. They\u2019re less needy when it comes to fertilization, requiring only 2 pounds or less per 1,000 square feet per year.<\/p>
Like Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue<\/a> mixes well with other grass types to improve drought and shade tolerance. Combine it with Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass to strengthen your lawn.<\/p>
Key Characteristics<\/strong><\/p>
- Good in shade; prefers less than four hours of sunlight per day<\/li>
- Not drought-tolerant; needs water <\/li>
- Does moderately well in busy yards<\/li>
- Doesn\u2019t require heavy maintenance<\/li> <\/ul>
Grass Seed Options: <\/strong>\u2013 Outsidepride Legacy Fine Fescue Grass Seed<\/a> (5 lbs.)\u2013 Eretz Creeping Red Fine Fescue Seed<\/a> (choose your size)\u2013 Outsidepride Creeping Red Fine Fescue Grass Seed<\/a> (25 lbs.)<\/p>
Tall fescue: Hardy and low-maintenance<\/span><\/h2>
![\"tall](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Tall-fescue-1.jpg\")
Aaron Patton | Purdue’s Turfgrass Science Program<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Tall fescue is a resilient grass that can go long stretches without supplemental irrigation, so it\u2019s good for those who don\u2019t want to invest hours and hours a week on their lawns. It\u2019s also a good choice for yards exposed to direct sunlight throughout the day or communities that restrict water usage.<\/p>
Along with this drought resistance, tall fescue<\/a> also has fewer problems with the insects and diseases than other cool-season grasses. <\/p>
Key Characteristics<\/strong><\/p>
- Moderate to high durability under foot<\/li>
- Requires low to moderate maintenance <\/li>
- Potential for disease is low<\/li>
- Stays green through hot summers <\/li> <\/ul>
Grass Seed Options:
<\/strong>\u2013 Triple-Play Tall Fescue Grass Seed Blend<\/a> (5000 sq ft)
\u2013 Eretz Kentucky 31 K31 Tall Fescue Grass Seed<\/a> (choose your size)
\u2013 Pennington The Rebels Tall Fescue Grass Seed Mix<\/a> (7 lb.)<\/p>Kentucky bluegrass: Durable and attractive<\/span><\/h2>
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/kentucky-grass-1.jpg\")
Shutterstock<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> There\u2019s a reason Kentucky bluegrass is popular everywhere in the North: It withstands cooler winters and bounces back great in the spring. It does especially well here in southeast Pennsylvania because it doesn\u2019t care for blistering temperatures you find in Southern states but is perfectly at home in our mid 80s summer temperatures.<\/p>
Key Characteristics<\/strong><\/p>
- Requires four to six hours of sunlight<\/li>
- Thrives with proper irrigation; goes dormant during dry periods <\/li>
- Hardy; endures foot traffic<\/li>
- Needs a good bit of maintenance<\/li> <\/ul>
Grass Seed Options:
<\/strong>\u2013 Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed<\/a> (3 lbs.)
\u2013 SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed<\/a> (5 lbs.)<\/p>Perennial ryegrass: Establishes quickly, handles heat<\/span><\/h2>
![\"pyrennial](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/pyrennial-ryegrass-1-1.jpeg\")
Aaron Patton | Purdue’s Turfgrass Science Program<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> The key quality of perennial ryegrass is its versatility: you can plant it alone as a lawn or mix it with other grass seed to quickly repair bare spots or improve the durability of a lawn that gets heavy use. Perennial ryegrass<\/a> also tolerates heat relatively well, which means it is less likely to go dormant at the peak of southeast Pennsylvania summers.<\/p>
Key Characteristics<\/strong><\/p>
- Prefers full sun<\/li>
- Very drought-tolerant; goes dormant but rebounds quickly when watered.<\/li>
- Durable under foot; good for busy yards<\/li>
- Pretty low maintenance<\/li>
- Produces less thatch than other cool-season grasses. <\/li> <\/ul>
Grass Seed Options:
<\/strong>\u2013 Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed<\/a> (5 lbs.)
\u2013 Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed<\/a> (choose your size)<\/p>Zoysiagrass: Thrives in summer<\/span><\/h2>
Grass Plug and Seed Options:
<\/strong>\u2013 Zoysia Plugs (50 Large Grass Plugs)
<\/a>\u2013 Zoysia Plugs (50 Full & Lush Grass Plugs)<\/a>
\u2013 Zoysia Plugs (100 Plugs)<\/a>
\u2013 Zenith Zenith Grass Seeds<\/a> (1\/8 lb. of seeds)<\/p>Zoysiagrass is the only warm-season grass you\u2019d dare try to grow this far north. It has traditionally been viewed as a Southern grass because it grows thick and dark in temperatures up to 120 degrees. But newer cultivars of Zoysia withstand temps as low as -30 degrees and are gaining popularity as far north as Connecticut.<\/p>
So why do we recommend it only for southeast Pennsylvania? Because while it can survive very cold temps, Zoysiagrass<\/a> grows best in warm weather and is likely to go dormant for longer in north and west Pennsylvania. So it\u2019ll work best in the Philly area, which is about 5 to 10 degrees warmer, on average, than the rest of the state.<\/p>
Key Characteristics<\/strong><\/p>
- Tolerates light to moderate shade <\/li>
- Withstands drought<\/li>
- Stand up well to busy yards<\/li>
- Low to moderate nitrogen requirement; moderate mowing frequency<\/li> <\/ul>
For more information about caring for your Pennsylvania lawn and landscape, see these guides:<\/strong><\/p>
- When to Plant Grass Seed in Pennsylvania<\/li>
- Year-Round Pennsylvania Lawn Care Schedule<\/li>
- When to Aerate Your Lawn in Pennsylvania<\/li>
- When to Fertilize Your Lawn in Pennsylvania<\/a><\/li>
- When to Dethatch Your Lawn in Pennsylvania<\/a><\/li>
- When to Stop Mowing Your Lawn in Pennsylvania<\/a><\/li>
- Planting Zones of Pennsylvania<\/li>
- The Most Common Weeds in Pennsylvania<\/li> <\/ul>
Trust the pros<\/span><\/h2>
A beautiful lawn adds so much appeal to a home, but it\u2019s not easy to achieve. Building a lawn takes time, money and know-how. Lawn Love gives you the yard you want at a price you can love. Call, click, or tap the app to get a free quote<\/a> and see what Lawn Love can do for you.<\/p>
Lawn Love participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. Lawn Love may earn revenue from products promoted in this article.<\/em><\/p>
Main Image Credit: 2018 – 1600 Hamilton Street – Allentown PA | Atwngirl<\/a> | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass are best for southeast Pennsylvania lawns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":30375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[188],"tags":[891,914,931,901,924,936,893,902,898,883,926,906,885,941,900,916,910,923,895,913,929,897,899,933,890,881,928,937,886,889,907,932,915,938,917,905,940,909,919,908,930,896,892,925,939,912,921,888,920,942,927,894,887,918,904,884,935,903,934,911,943,487],"class_list":["post-30354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pennsylvania","tag-lawn-care-abington-pa","tag-lawn-care-ambler-pa","tag-lawn-care-aston-pa","tag-lawn-care-bensalem-pa","tag-lawn-care-bethlehem-pa","tag-lawn-care-blue-bell-pa","tag-lawn-care-brookhaven-pa","tag-lawn-care-broomall-pa","tag-lawn-care-camp-hill-pa","tag-lawn-care-chester-pa","tag-lawn-care-coatesville-pa","tag-lawn-care-collegeville-pa","tag-lawn-care-denver-pa","tag-lawn-care-downingtown-pa","tag-lawn-care-doylestown-pa","tag-lawn-care-drexel-hill-pa","tag-lawn-care-easton-pa","tag-lawn-care-elizabethtown-pa","tag-lawn-care-emmaus-pa","tag-lawn-care-enola-pa","tag-lawn-care-ephrata-pa","tag-lawn-care-exton-pa","tag-lawn-care-glenside-pa","tag-lawn-care-harrisburg-pa","tag-lawn-care-hatboro-pa","tag-lawn-care-hatfield-pa","tag-lawn-care-havertown-pa","tag-lawn-care-hellertown-pa","tag-lawn-care-hershey-pa","tag-lawn-care-horsham-pa","tag-lawn-care-jenkintown-pa","tag-lawn-care-king-of-prussia-pa","tag-lawn-care-lancaster-pa","tag-lawn-care-langhorne-pa","tag-lawn-care-lansdale-pa","tag-lawn-care-lansdowne-pa","tag-lawn-care-lehigh-valley-pa","tag-lawn-care-levittown-pa","tag-lawn-care-lititz-pa","tag-lawn-care-mechanicsburg-pa","tag-lawn-care-media-pa","tag-lawn-care-middletown-pa","tag-lawn-care-morrisville-pa","tag-lawn-care-nazareth-pa","tag-lawn-care-new-holland-pa","tag-lawn-care-newtown-pa","tag-lawn-care-norristown-pa","tag-lawn-care-oxford-pa","tag-lawn-care-phoenixville-pa","tag-lawn-care-pottstown-pa","tag-lawn-care-quakertown-pa","tag-lawn-care-red-lion-pa","tag-lawn-care-souderton-pa","tag-lawn-care-southampton-pa","tag-lawn-care-springfield-pa","tag-lawn-care-upper-darby-pa","tag-lawn-care-warminster-pa","tag-lawn-care-waynesboro-pa","tag-lawn-care-whitehall-pa","tag-lawn-care-williamstown-pa","tag-lawn-care-willow-grove-pa","tag-lawn-care-allentown-pa"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/house-in-allentown-pa-1.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Whitney Lehnecker","author_link":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/author\/whitney-lehnecker\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30354\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- When to Dethatch Your Lawn in Pennsylvania<\/a><\/li>
- Tall fescue: Hardy and low-maintenance<\/a><\/li>