Grasses: A Virtual Mall
When we decided to make a blog dedicated strictly to lawns and lawn care, naturally the inevitable “Internet Exception Clause” hit me like “the kiss at the end of a hot fist” (My Mike Hammer allusion, lol). What does someone in New Zealand care about “cold climate grasses”? Or Florida or California for that matter? And what internet surfer in Red Deer, Alberta is going to care about Bermuda Grass and its attendant problems? Not only that, but the choices expand exponentially, even in those places themselves! If someone wants a showplace which will get little traffic and no dogs or kids befouling the perfection, his choices might be different entirely from someone whose entire edifice gets the traffic equivalent of Grand Central Station.
There are choices even within the regions themselves depending on need. Some grasses are highly sensitive to traffic and abuse ands yet others can hang in there, are easily reseeded and require very little maintenance to stay pretty green and refreshing. The science of grasses has become more than what it once was, for real, and science is producing yet hardier and more gorgeous species annually.
Not only this, but grasses also contain an immense and equally-evolving number of ornamental plants which are rapidly becoming more widespread in landscapes all over the world. Grass’s ease of maintenance in the context of a shrub is as recommendable as is its uncommon beauty as a landscaping plant feature.
So what I am going to do is to list a few of the more common grasses we use in North America for lawns only. These will also apply to Europe and much of the rest of the world, considering the diversity of climates within North America and I will try and list appropriate zonal hardiness at the same time, easily transferable to the rest of the world.
