Every lawn grass, and who it's actually for.

Grows in the heat, brown in winter

Zones 7 and warmer, roughly. These wake up when the soil warms, do their growing through the summer, and go fully dormant and tan after the first hard frost. If a brown winter lawn is a dealbreaker, you want the cool-season list instead.

• BermudagrassCynodon dactylonZones7–10Sun7–8+ hrsMow0.5–1.5 inNitrogen3–6 lb/MFull sun, heavy traffic, and you want the fairway look badly enough to do the work.You have shade, or you want a low-input lawn — it is the hungriest grass here.Read the full page →
• ZoysiagrassZoysia japonica / matrellaZones6–10Sun5–6+ hrsMow0.5–2 inNitrogen2–3 lb/MYou want dense, fine turf with some shade tolerance and less feeding than bermuda.Your lawn takes real damage — it heals slowly, and thin spots stay thin.Read the full page →
• St. AugustinegrassStenotaphrum secundatumZones8–10Sun4–6 hrsMow2.5–4 inNitrogen2–4 lb/MCoastal South with tree shade — the most shade-tolerant warm-season option by a clear margin.You get hard freezes, or you want fine texture and a low cut.Read the full page →
• CentipedegrassEremochloa ophiuroidesZones7–9Sun6+ hrsMow1–2 inNitrogen1–2 lb/MAcid, sandy Southeast soil and a lawn nobody walks on — it asks less of you than anything else here.The lawn actually gets used. It forms a loose turf that will not take dogs, play, or a worn path.Read the full page →
• BahiagrassPaspalum notatumZones7–11Sun6+ hrsMow3–4 inNitrogen1–3 lb/MA big, sunny, sandy acre you cannot or will not irrigate — the most drought-proof grass on this page.You want a manicured, uniform lawn. Bahia is coarse and open, and throws tall seedheads all summer.Read the full page →

Green nearly year-round, struggles in heat

Zones 7 and cooler, roughly. These grow hardest in spring and fall, hold colour through winter, and need protecting rather than pushing in midsummer — which is why cool-season fertility is a fall program, the exact opposite of the warm-season list above.

• Tall fescueSchedonorus arundinaceusZones4–7Sun4–6 hrsMow3–4 inNitrogen2–4 lb/MThe transition zone, or anywhere you want one cool-season grass that handles heat and some shade.You need it to repair itself — it grows in bunches, so damage means overseeding.Read the full page →
• Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensisZones3–7Sun6+ hrsMow2–3 inNitrogen3–5 lb/MCold climates, irrigation available, and you want the classic dark, self-repairing lawn.Water is limited or summers are long and hot — it goes dormant and sulks.Read the full page →
• Perennial ryegrassLolium perenneZones4–7Sun5–6 hrsMow1.5–3 inNitrogen3–5 lb/MYou need cover fast, or you are overseeding — it germinates quicker than anything else here.You have hard winters or hot summers; it is the least tolerant of both extremes.Read the full page →
• Fine fescueFestuca rubra and relativesZones3–7Sun3–4 hrsMow2.5–4 inNitrogen1–2 lb/MShade and low input. The most shade-tolerant grass on this page and the least demanding.You have kids, dogs, or hot humid summers — it will not take the wear or the heat.Read the full page →
• Creeping bentgrassAgrostis stoloniferaZones3–7Sun6+ hrsMow0.1–0.5 inNitrogen3–6 lb/MYou are building a putting green and you know exactly what you are signing up for.Almost every home lawn. It needs daily attention, a reel mower, and a fungicide program.Read the full page →

All ten, side by side

Ratings are relative to each other, not absolute. Nothing here is best at everything — the grass that tolerates the most shade also tolerates the least traffic.

Zone ranges are general. Local conditions — elevation, shade, drainage, and how hard your summers actually are — move them, and the transition zone is where every one of these becomes a judgement call.