Picking the best type of grass for your lawn needs

The grass is greener, but only when the right grass is used for the right purpose! If you don’t have much of a green thumb, then you might not realise just how varied grass types can be. There are certain grasses that are better than other for you children to play on, for instance. Take a look through out guide below to find which grass would be best for your garden, whatever you use it for.

Your garden is where your kids play

Gardens are a fantastic playground for children. Studies have shown that children who have access to a garden to play in often perform better in school. Plus, it is a brilliant opportunity for them to learn about nature and the environment. So, if your garden is primarily used as a place for your kids to play out in, you’ll want a hard-wearing turf that can take the pitter-patter of not-so-tiny feet on it.

Use dwarf ryegrass for the best results. This fine-leaved grass is compact and classed as a ‘hard-wearing’ turf. This is because it grows quickly, and can also regrow rapidly when damaged, so long as it is provided with adequate moisture and fertiliser.

Your garden is mainly used by pets

If your pets spend a long time outside, make sure the best grass is under them. Unsurprisingly, ryegrass is also a good choice if you have a dog that loves to trample through the garden! For small animal owners, it is worth considering mixing other grasses into your garden for your pets to graze on. For example, rabbits and guinea pigs love to chew on a range of grasses, including meadow grass. Therefore, look out for lawn grass mixes that include ryegrass and meadow grass for the best of both worlds. However, avoid giving guinea pigs in particular wet grass — damp grass can be a little mouldy, and it isn’t safe for guinea pigs to eat.

It’s best to avoid using fertiliser in the garden if you plan to let your pets out there, particularly if you have herbivore pets.

Your garden is to attract wildlife

Do the local animals flock to your garden? If you’re a wildlife fanatic, then you’ll want to look into smooth-stalked meadow grass. Alternatively, you could go down the route of a wildflower meadow-style garden and forgo traditional lawn grasses entirely for a wildflower mix of crested dog’s-tail and fescue among other meadow flowers, like yellow rattle and cowslip.

Staying green through the cold winter months, crested dog’s-tail is also a butterfly-favourite. As for fescue, this is a good choice as it is an attractive grazing option for a lot of native wildlife. There’re many other ways you can attract wildlife to your home; the RSPB recommends building everything from a ‘Bee B&B’ to creating a mini-pond.

Your garden is for show and entertaining

Lots of people work very hard to maintain a flawless garden. For some gardeners, it’s all about the visual appeal of crafting a living piece of art! If this fits the image of your dream garden, you will want to opt for finer-leaved grasses. These types of lawn grass don’t feature much durability, but without much footfall happening in an ornamental garden, they don’t need to. For this reason, chewings fecue fits into any display garden. This grass is fine-leaved and has a darker shade of green to it than some other turfs. It is also quite tolerant of low temperatures and shade, so it works great for a UK lawn.

Your garden is for growing

Are you all about grow-your-own veg? Embracing the true meaning of organic, for those of us who are growing our own vegetables and herbs, there’s a fantastic option for your lawn — no lawn at all!

Make the most of your garden’s space to grow vegetables and more by doing away with your lawn altogether and opting for garden beds. They will still look amazing when all your vegetables and herbs are growing, and you will find yourself with more space to tend to more produce. Be sure to tend to your new garden beds with top soil and other nutrients to get the most out of your crops.

How will you be tailoring your lawn and garden this year? If you pick the best grass for the job, you’ll certainly find it a lot easier to care for.