Southeast Pennsylvania and Central and South Jersey sit near the northern edge of what lawn pros call the transition zone. Summers are hot and humid, winters are cold, and that combination is tough on grass. Nearly every healthy lawn in our area is made up of cool-season grasses. These are the three that matter most.

Tall fescue

The workhorse for our area. Modern turf-type tall fescues have deep roots, handle heat and drought better than other cool-season grasses, and hold up to kids and pets. They grow in clumps, so thin areas need overseeding rather than filling in on their own. Mow at 3.5 to 4 inches.

Kentucky bluegrass

The classic soft, dark-green lawn. Bluegrass spreads by underground stems, so it can repair small damage on its own. It needs more water and feeding than tall fescue and struggles in shade and summer heat. It is often blended with tall fescue for the best of both.

Perennial ryegrass

Ryegrass germinates fast, which makes it great for quick repairs and overseeding. It is less heat-tolerant and more disease-prone than tall fescue, so it is usually a part of a blend, not the whole lawn.

What about shade?

For shady yards under mature trees, fine fescues (creeping red, chewings and hard fescue) tolerate low light better than any other lawn grass. Even so, most grass needs at least four hours of sun.

Our recommendation

For most sunny lawns in Bucks, Montgomery and Mercer County, a tall fescue blend, sometimes with some bluegrass, gives the best results. The best time to seed is late summer into early fall, when the soil is warm and the air is cooling. See why fall is the best time to overseed and our aeration and overseeding service.

Not sure what is in your lawn now? We will identify it during your free on-site evaluation.