What Kind of Grass Will Grow Under Tall Pine Trees?

Hardy To Minus 30 Degrees Fahrenheit

• Blue lyme grass (Elymus arenarius) grows to 4 feet tall and is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 10. This cool-season grass grows well in dry soil and light shade. It has metallic-blue foliage and grows in upright clumps. Hardy in zones 4 to 9, bulbous oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatius subsp. bulbosum) grows well in partial shade and tolerates drought and poor, dry soil. This 12-inch tall grass has striped, green and white foliage and spreads slowly.

Hardy To Minus 20 Degrees Fahrenheit

• Wild oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) plants tolerate dry and poor soil, heat and shade. The wild oats plant grows to 5 feet tall and has arching foliage that turns yellow in fall. Hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9, the wild oats plant reseeds itself and spreads by rhizomes. Fountain grass is also hardy in zones 5 to 9. This upright, warm-season grass has narrow foliage that turns golden in autumn. It grows well in partial shade and tolerates some drought. Fountain grass grows to 4 feet tall and self-seeds.

Hardy to Minus 10 Degrees Fahrenheit

• Hardy in zones 6 through 9, hairy melic grass (Melica ciliata) grows to 10 inches tall and has narrow, upright-to-arching foliage. It produces white inflorescences and grows well in moderately dry soil and partial shade. Switch grass (Panicum virgatum) is hardy in zones 5 through 9 and grows well in partial shade and dry soil. This upright grass has blue-green foliage that turns red in fall. It reaches 6 feet and spreads quickly through rhizomes.

Grass-Like Ground Covers

• While a few ornamental grasses spread to fill in empty sites, most grow in clumps. In contrast, ground covers grow out as well as up – usually wider than they are tall -- and help reduce erosion and weeds. Shade- and drought-tolerant, grass-like ground covers include blue oats grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens), a 2-foot-tall grass that spreads to 3 feet. This fine, arching grass grows well in light shade and tolerates drought. It is hardy in zones 4 to 8. Mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus) grows to 10 inches tall and spreads into a thick carpet of dark, evergreen fronds. Hardy in zones 6 to 9, mondo grass grows well in shaded sites with well-drained soil.