Healthy green grass is a valuable component of great curb appeal for your home or business. If you struggle to maintain a lush, full lawn year-round… we have some tips that may help! We’ve compiled a list of the best grass seed to fit our unique Wisconsin climate; sun, shade, and even our brutal Wisconsin winters.
Here are our top picks broken down by categories: Best Overall, Best Deep Freeze Survivor, Best for Full Sun, and Best for Shade. And YES you can mix and match to suit the needs of your lawn - in fact, we encourage it!
Best Overall Grass: Kentucky Bluegrass
Kentucky bluegrass is actually the most common grass grown in Wisconsin in cities like Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay - and it’s for good reason. No, it’s not just for Kentucky… and it’s not blue either! Wisconsin lawns love this hardy, freeze-resistant and plush grass. Your best bet will be to lay this seed in the early fall, let it germinate, survive its first winter, and the rest will be history. Once you’ve established a great turf using Kentucky Bluegrass, it should require minimal maintenance and is one of the more drought-resistant grasses out there. Kentucky Bluegrass is also known to spread itself out, which will help with any patchy grass areas you may have. The only issue you may run into is if your yard is extremely shaded, as Kentucky Bluegrass likes at least 6 hours of sun per day to stay happy.
Best Deep Freeze Survivor: Tall Fescue
Tall fescue was a real contender for best overall grass, losing out to Kentucky Bluegrass by a hair (or should I say, a blade). While most grasses will simply go dormant, and not die due to a big freeze, some grasses are more resilient than others. Tall fescue is the toughest of the bunch in this regard. Its roots develop quickly, and go very deep into the soil - this makes it cold, heat, shade AND drought resistant. Tall fescue will do fine if planted in either fall or spring, so no matter your timing, as long as it’s not in the dead of winter or summer, you’ll have some healthy grass. One thing to consider is that it tends to grow in bunches, and does not spread on its own - you’ll want to be sure you spread your seed very evenly to avoid this.
Best Grass For Full Sun: Bermudagrass
Bermudagrass is the most heat and sun tolerant of the bunch. While we don’t necessarily have to worry about extreme heat and sun in Wisconsin during the summertime, Bermudagrass is one we recommend you mix into your grass seed recipe when laying seed on your sunniest/most exposed areas of the yard. Bermudagrass won’t turn brown or dry out like other types of grass seed can - so adding it to your mix will help to disguise other grasses that tend to wilt in the summer. Plant this seed in the springtime for best results.
Best Grass For Shade: Ryegrass
Ryegrass is another great candidate for mixing. In the shady corners of your yard where other seeds may need some assistance, Ryegrass is a reliable option. Ryegrass is typically used for overseeding when other grasses don’t seem to be doing very well - it has an extremely fast germination period, so can be planted at any time and will do well in any temperature.
We hope this helps point you in the right direction as you plan your gardening and lawn care strategy this year!
If you would like to get help in the selection of grass seeds, contact us at Earth Development. Our company is a leading provider of professional commercial landscaping and lawn maintenance services for more than 20 years. Reach out to us and we'll help you find the best seeds for your lawn!
