Whether you\u2019re enjoying the beach in the summer or whale watching in the winter, the climate in Virginia Beach is great for those who love to be outside. The hot summers and cool winters also mean that both warm- and cool-season grass can survive and thrive on your Virginia Beach lawn.
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The four best warm-season and four cool-season grasses for Virginia Beach include: <\/p>
We have outlined the pros and cons of each grass type to help you choose the best one for your yard.
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What are cool-season grasses? Cool-season grasses thrive when temperatures are between 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit and grow between late summer and early winter and early spring to early summer.<\/p>
Perennial ryegrass is a versatile turf used for everything from golf courses to plush green carpets outside homes. This is a quick-growing grass (though not as quick as Kentucky bluegrass), and it can tolerate high heat and heavy foot traffic. Perennial ryegrass does struggle with drought and shade, and it can incur damage from ice and frost.
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Note: <\/strong>Can be used on residential yards, parks, playgrounds, and golf courses. <\/p> Grass Seed Options: Fine fescue does well in the shade, making it an excellent choice for properties covered with trees, bushes, or ground coverings. This low-maintenance grass doesn\u2019t need a lot of fertilizing, watering or mowing, so it\u2019s perfect for homeowners who don\u2019t have a lot of time to spend on lawn care. One of the most beneficial attributes of fine fescue for Virginia Beach homes is its ability to be planted in difficult soils like sand and clay. Pros and cons: <\/strong>Fine fescue is drought-tolerant and recovers quickly after dormancy once the weather starts to cool down. Fine fescue doesn\u2019t tolerate heavy foot traffic, though, so it may not be the best option if you have a large family or pets. <\/p> Notes: <\/strong>Grows slowly and doesn\u2019t need to be mowed frequently, so it\u2019s a good choice for places that are hard to reach with a mower. <\/p> Grass Seed Options: Tall fescue is one of the most shade-tolerant of all the cool-season grasses. It also has an extensive root system that is longer than many other cool-season grasses, making it more resistant to heat and drought. Tall fescue doesn\u2019t grow or recover as quickly as Kentucky bluegrass or Bermudagrass, which means this grass is less likely to overrun your flower beds or gardens. In terms of maintenance, this grass is low growing — contrary to its name — so it doesn\u2019t require a lot of mowing or fertilization. Note: <\/strong>Resists insects and diseases.<\/p> Grass Seed Options: Kentucky bluegrass is revered for its beauty, cold tolerance, and quick recovery. It is a favorite for residential lawns, athletic fields, and parks because this grass has a high traffic tolerance. Although Kentucky bluegrass can withstand the cold, it can become dormant under periods of extreme heat or drought. Because Kentucky bluegrass requires full sun and lots of maintenance, this may not be the most suitable grass for every Virginia Beach homeowner. Those who are willing to put in the work, though, will be rewarded with a lush and green yard. Note:<\/strong> Produces a lot of thatch which can leave it defenseless to insect and pest infestations<\/a><\/p> Grass Seed Options: Warm-season grasses perform best when the outside temperature is between 80-95 degrees, and the best time to plant them in Virginia is between Mid-may to early June<\/a>. St. Augustine is a fast-growing grass great for yards with lots of shade. It can handle periods of drought better than Zoysia and bermudagrass, but it does need regular watering to survive. Pros and cons:<\/strong> If you want a lawn that can take a heavy amount of foot traffic, St. Augustinegrass is not the right choice. Note, though, that this grass requires a lot of maintenance as it\u2019s also prone to insects and disease, especially fungi. When purchasing St. Augustinegrass, it can be hard to find seeds and is usually placed as sod or plugs. Note:<\/strong> Can be planted in sandy soils<\/p> Grass Plug Options: Zoysia\u2019s fast-growing nature makes it quicker to recover after going dormant, but it can take over areas where you may not want the grass (flower beds and gardens). It can be planted in sandy soils, and its extensive root system makes it drought-tolerant. Zoysiagrass is low-maintenance and doesn\u2019t need to be mowed as frequently as other warm-season grasses. Zoysia grass also does OK in partial shade but thrives under full sunlight. Note:<\/strong> Zoysiagrass can\u2019t survive in poorly drained soils. <\/p> Grass Plug and Seed Options: Bahiagrass performs the best in sandy soils because of its extremely extensive root system. This comprehensive root system also makes Bahiagrass drought and heat-tolerant, although it can turn brown under extended periods of extreme heat and little rainfall. Bahiagrass is a low-growing warm-season grass, so you won\u2019t have to mow that often, but Bahia does have particular water and nutrient needs. Grass Seed Options <\/strong><\/p> Pensacola Bahiagrass: Bermudagrass grows quicker than zoysia and can handle everything from floods to droughts. Because of its fast-growing nature, it\u2019s resistant to weeds and pests and is resilient after damage. Pros and cons:<\/strong> Bermudagrass can be invasive to flower beds and gardens. It does not do well in the shade and needs full sunlight to survive. It is also not particularly cold-tolerant, but other bermudagrass varieties have been bred with a better ability to handle the cold. Notes: <\/strong>Grows well in sandy soils. <\/p> Grass Seed Options: Each of the eight best grass types for Virginia Beach yards has advantages and disadvantages. Bermudagrass is a low-maintenance warm-season grass that would be great for your yard.<\/p> <\/div> Turf-type tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and zoysiagrass have a high drought tolerance.<\/p> <\/div> If you have a lot of foot traffic on your grass, consider Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue perennial ryegrass or bermudagrass.<\/p> <\/div> Consider planting bahiagrass because it is a low-growing warm-season turf.\u00a0<\/p> <\/div> <\/div> Once you\u2019ve chosen the right grass type for your yard, how will you care for it? If you don\u2019t want to buy a mower, edger, string trimmer, and other tools, or your weekends are already busy enough, find a lawn care pro near you<\/a> to keep your yard lush, making your neighbors green with envy.<\/em> Main Photo Credit: Jason Pratt (FishSpeaker) | Wikimedia Commons<\/a> | CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/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>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whether you\u2019re enjoying the beach in the summer or whale watching in the winter, the climate in Virginia Beach is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":3857,"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":"https:\/\/cdn.lawnlove.com\/images\/best+grass+types-Virginia+Beach+hero.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Aerial view of Virginia Beach coast and housing and downtown","footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[506],"class_list":["post-3853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-virginia","tag-lawn-care-virginia-beach-va"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/cdn.lawnlove.com\/images\/best+grass+types-Virginia+Beach+hero.jpg?w=1200&fit=1200,825&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Leanna Doolittle","author_link":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/author\/leanna-doolittle\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3853","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\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/strong>\u2013 Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed<\/a> (5 lbs.)
\u2013 Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed<\/a> (choose your size)
<\/p> 2. Fine fescue<\/h3>
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<\/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.)
\u2013 Outsidepride Hard Fine Fescue Grass Seed<\/a> (10 lbs.)<\/p> 3. Tall fescue <\/h3>
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<\/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> 4. Kentucky bluegrass <\/h3>
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<\/strong>\u2013 Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed<\/a> (3 lbs.)
\u2013 SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed<\/a> (5 lbs.)
\u2013 Jacklin Seed – Biltmore Blue Blend – 100% Kentucky Bluegrass (5 lbs.)<\/p> Warm-season grasses <\/em><\/h2>
<\/p> 5. St. Augustine<\/h3>
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<\/strong>\u2013 Seed Ranch St Augustine Seville Grass Plugs<\/a> (2 Trays)
\u2013 Seed Ranch St Augustine Floratam Grass Plugs<\/a> (2 Trays)<\/p> 6. Zoysiagrass <\/h3>
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<\/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 Zoysia Emerald Grass Seeds (1\/8 lb. of seeds)
\u2013 Zenith Zenith Grass Seeds<\/a> (1\/8 lb. of seeds)<\/strong>
<\/p> 7. Bahiagrass <\/h3>
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\u2013 Scotts Turf Builder Pensacola Bahiagrass (5 lb. bag)
\u2013 SeedRanch Pensacola Bahiagrass Seed<\/a> (10 lb. bag)
\u2013 Hancock’s Pensacola Bahia Grass Seed – Coated – 5 lbs.<\/a>
Argentine Bahiagrass:
\u2013 Scotts Turf Builder Argentine Bahiagrass<\/a> (10 lb. bag)
\u2013 Hancock Seed Co. Argentine Bahiagrass Seed Mix<\/a> (25 lb. bag)<\/p> 8. Bermudagrass <\/h3>
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<\/strong>\u2013 <\/strong>Pennington Bermudagrass Bare Spot (5 lb. bag)
\u2013 Pennington Smart Seed Bermudagrass Mix (8.75-lb. bag)
\u2013 Scotts Turf Builder Bermudagrass<\/a> (10-lb. bag)
\u2013 Hancock Seed Co. Bermudagrass<\/a> (50-lb. bag)
<\/p> How to select the best grass type for your yard
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