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What Kind of Grass Will Grow in the Shade?

Grass grows best when it is planted in sunny locations in the yard. Not every gardener, however, has a sunny yard, and some gardeners want to plant grass under their trees. The grass type you choose will make or break the success of lawns extending into shady regions of the yard.
  1. Fescues

    • Certain types of fine fescue grasses will grow in shady locations in the yard. Creeping red fescue, chewing fescue and hard fescue grasses thrive in shady locations, according to the University of Wisconsin Extension. These cool season grass types are popular for their thin grass blades and drought tolerance. Shady areas are actually drier than sunny parts of the yard. Trees and plants grown in shady area have shallower root systems for absorbing water. Growing a drought tolerant fine fescue in the shade can prevent the lawn from wilting or succumbing to dry conditions.

    Bluegrass

    • There are numerous types of bluegrasses that are available for sowing. However, gardeners should choose supina bluegrass for growing in their shady areas. Supina bluegrass thrives in moist, shady areas. Gardeners living around lakes or rivers can plant this grass around trees and know that it will not die out from excessive moisture. Avoid planting Kentucky bluegrass in shady areas -- your lawn will die out or contract a fungal disease.

    Zoysia

    • Zoysia is a warm season turf that consists of cultivars that tolerate shady locations. Check your grass seed or sod to ensure that it is a zoysia type that can grow in shade such as Diamond, Belaire and Cavalier and El Toro, according to Clemson University. Emerald and Meyer zoysia grass types have a fair tolerance to shade. In addition to growing in shade, zoysia grass is drought tolerant and can tolerate colder temperatures than other warm season grass types such as Bermuda grass.

    St. Augustine

    • St. Augustine grass types such as Palmetto, Delmar and Jade, Bitterblue, Seville and Raleigh grow in shade. It is important to grow St. Augustine grass varieties in areas that have temperate winters or a long summer growing season, because this grass type is unable to survive cool temperatures. This warm season grass type does not tolerate drought and has a higher watering requirement than other grass types. You will notice your St. Augustine grass wilting and discoloring when it needs water.