August
2007
Selecting Grass for Your Landscape1
The lawn is the most dominant feature of the American home landscape. Most people have lawns to some degree. The lawn may have a flowerbed located in its middle, or it may be reduced in size by a patio, but it is, for the most part, ever present. Not just any sod or grass seed will work everywhere. It is important when you begin designing and building your landscape that you choose grass that will thrive and that is likely to succeed. It is also very important to select grass that answers your ideas of maintenance.
Before you select your grass, however, it is important to decide were you will put it. Practical consideration of how to efficiently water the lawn and care for it is part of the determination as to whether or not your turf will survive. It is not a particularly sound practice to seed or lay sod in long, narrow strips of landscape. Grass is much better in larger square areas. Odd shaped areas of grass may not receive the water they need (it can be going other places, like onto the driveway or in the lower garden, especially with sprinkler irrigation), while large blocky areas are easier to water and easier to mow. Take this into account even before you select the grass for your landscape.