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Grasses That Tolerate Shade

A few grasses tolerate shade, but none thrive under low-light conditions. To grow strong, healthy grass, your first recourse is to try to introduce more light into the area. In areas under trees, prune branches selectively to allow more light to filter to the ground. Provide the grass with the best of all other conditions it needs, including water, nutrients and soil. Start with a grass likely to tolerate shade, then expand through experimentation.

  1. Cool Turf

    • Creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra L. ssp. arenaria) and other fine-leaved fescues will tolerate some shade. Fescue is a cool-season grass that germinates relatively fast. It does have some drought tolerance, so you may have some success with it in a dry area. Use less fertilizer with fescue, because it grows slowly and does not have the opportunity to use a lot of fertilizer.

    Warm Turf

    • St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is a warm-season grass that has a low tolerance for cold. Use sprigs, plugs or sod, rather than seed, to give yourself the best chance to establish a lawn with St. Augustinegrass. Even after it's established, St. Augustinegrass will not stand up well to foot traffic. Fertilize St. Augustinegrass regularly, and give special attention to the amount of nitrogen it receives. Nitrogen will help St. Augustinegrass keep its green color.

    Cool Ornamental

    • Northern sea oats or wild oats grass (Chasmanthium latifolium) grows to roughly 3 eet high. It prefers fertile soil that drains well. Northern sea oats has some tolerance for drought, but it will look best if you keep its soil moist. In the summer, it produces medium-green leaves. In the fall, the leaves turn a golden or bronze color. Northern sea oats offers year-round interest and seeds easily, which may explain why it is classified as both a warm- and cool-season grass.

    Warm Ornamental

    • Feeseys Form ribbon grass (Phalaris arundinacea) is also commonly known as Strawberries and Cream ribbon grass. It is a warm-season perennial. Ribbon grass is a rare grass that prefers partial shade, because it may burn in a full-sun location. During cooler parts of the year, the grass displays a pinkish hue on its new growth. It has a creeping habit, with leaves that extend to 1 1/2 inches wide and stems that reach up to almost 3 feet tall. In early summer, it develops small white flowers. Ribbon grass is invasive in some areas, however; you have a good chance of controlling its growth when it's in the shade.

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Growing Grass
  1. Grasses That Tolerate Wet Winters
  2. Red Grasses
  3. Danthonia Grasses
  4. Tall Grass That Tolerates Dry Shade
  5. Turf Grasses That Spread
  6. Purple Grasses
  7. Sod That Grows in Shade
  8. Grass That Thrives in Shade
  9. Grasses That Grow in Full Shade
  10. Grasses That Tolerate Dogs
  11. Decorative Grasses That Thrive in the Shade
  12. Dwarf Shade Grasses

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