Home / Here on Earth / Southern Turfgrasses 101: For Southern Lawns & Landscapes
The southern United States hosts some of the most beautiful lawns and landscapes in the world and has a fascinating and unique range of climates and ecosystems. To get the most out of any lawn, it’s important to know about the turf you have and what it’s specifically cultivated for. Some turfgrasses are more adapted to withstand the cold, while others like our southern turfgrasses have developed excellent heat tolerance. To give you a better understanding of your lawn, we have broken down the basics and compiled the main species of southern turfgrasses, their uses, cultivars, and care.
Native to the Gulf of Mexico area, the West Indies, and Western Africa and found throughout southern and coastal regions of the United States
In the early 1890s, St. Augustine grass became popular in Florida, hence its namesake. St. Augustine Is vegetatively propagated – produced via stolons, plugs, sod pods, or sod
St. Augustine grasses do not produce enough viable seed for commercialization, so there is no such thing as St. Augustine seed for lawns. For this reason, seed is not produced for lawn propagation use and it is therefore not available for sale at your local garden center.
Seville is a blue-green semi-dwarf variety with excellent horizontal compact growth and great color retention
Zoysiagrasses are warm-season grasses native to China, Japan, and other parts of Southeast Asia. The species was named to commemorate an 18th-century Austrian botanist, Karl von Zois. In 1911, Zoysia matrella was introduced into the United States from Manila by a U.S.D.A. botanist, C. V. Piper.
Toughest grass used for turf in the desert southwest, the southern plains, and the humid southeastern United States.
While you now know the basics of southern turfgrasses, you are far from being a landscape professional. To take care of the fertilization, mowing, irrigation, and landscape management needs, Down To Earth is here to help. For more than 30 years, Down To Earth Landscape & Irrigation has shaped Florida’s communities and businesses. When you’re ready to make a difference you can see, visit dtelandscape.com/contact