Types of grass: what type of lawn is best for your garden?

Kati

I am a qualified gardener and horticulturalist and love everything that grows! Whether it's a shrub, a tree, a useful plant or a supposed weed: for me, every plant is a little miracle.
In the garden I look after my 13 chickens, grow fruit & vegetables and otherwise observe how nature manages and shapes itself.

Favourite fruit: Blueberry, apple
Favourite vegetables: Braised cucumber, kale, green pepper

Before planting a new lawn, it is important to know your soil type, where you want to sow the seeds and what you want to do with your lawn. Here is our guide to the many different grass varieties.

Feet enjoying a lush green lawn — By choosing the right lawn seed you are already a step closer to your dream lawn [Photo: Mila Supinskaya Glashchenko/ Shutterstock.com]

Everyone has a lawn – it can’t be that difficult! At least, this is what many novice gardeners think. Planting a lawn may seem trivial, but it is important to choose the right seeds for the right location. Read on to find out which grass seed is best for your garden.

Contents

Sowing a new lawn: which grass seed type do I need?
Summary: which grass seed should I buy?
Laying a new lawn: does using rolls of lawn turf make sense?
How to improve existing lawn
What to consider when establishing or improving lawns

Sowing a new lawn: which grass seed type do I need?

When establishing a new lawn, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Climate, soil and exposure all impact grass seed. As such, it is important to select lawn seed mixes that are suitable for your area. By selecting the right seed mix early, you can avoid trouble with weeds, moss, poor growth, and high maintenance later on.

But which grass type is right for you?

Here is a table to help you decide. Consider both your soil type and how you want to use your lawn.

Conditions	Recommended lawn type
Very good, loamy sandy soil; rich in humus. Without deep compaction. Full sun.	Any general-purpose lawn, including hard-wearing lawns. High-maintenance, ornamental lawns and golf lawns.
Light, poor soil with a high sand content; little humus. Without deep compaction. Sunny to semi-shady. Low rainfall.	Drought-resistant lawn for home gardens. Landscaped lawn for dry areas that cannot be walked on.
Medium quality soil. Little to no compaction. Sunny to semi-shady. Area is walked on and well-used (garden parties, sport).	All grass types, including hard-wearing lawn.
Medium-quality soil. Little to no compaction. Partial shade for many hours of the day.	Shady lawn; for uniformity, plant even in sunny areas.
Normal, nutrient-rich to nutrient-poor soil. Area is rarely if ever walked on.	Flowering ground covers, like our Bee, Butterfly, or Insect friendly seeds. Landscaped lawn is possible, but is less attractive.
Stony subsoil. Heavily compacted. Sunny to shady.	Seed mixes for car park/gravel lawns.

Tip: If you have normal soil and want to save time and water, use a drought-resistant lawn seed, like our premium quality Plantura Drought-Resistant Lawn Seed. Drought-resistant grass requires significantly less water than normal grass, especially during dry spells. It does, however, have a slightly different appearance than general-purpose lawn.

Children playing football on the lawn — Depending on the use, a different grass is needed – sports fields, for example, must be very resilient [Photo: matimix/ Shutterstock.com]

Summary: which grass seed should I buy?

Most home gardens can use a hard-wearing lawn seed. Hard-wearing lawns grow well in normal soil and moderate conditions. However, if your garden suffers a lot of shade, drought or very compacted soil, use a specialised lawn seed. Low-maintenance, flowering ground covers are also an option for low-use areas.

Hard-Wearing Lawn Seed, 2kg, 100m2 coverage

(5/5)

Creates particularly strong & durable lawns
Contains regenerative lawn seeds for thick turf
Premium lawn seed mixture with high-quality, certified grass varieties

£19.99

Shop now!

Laying a new lawn: does using rolls of lawn turf make sense?

If you want to green-up an area quickly, turf rolls can be useful. However, do bear in mind that few turf rolls are specifically designed for ornamental or sporting use; or for dry or shady locations. What is more, laying turf is not as easy as it might seem, and the price per square metre is significantly higher than self-sown seeds.

In addition, sowing your own lawn is more environmentally friendly than using turf rolls. Turf rolls are produced elsewhere and occupy arable land. They also consume mineral fertiliser and are removed and transported by large machines. Read our detailed comparison of turf rolls and lawn sowing to find out more.

A person laying lawn turf — Turf makes an area green very quickly, but has a higher price per square metre [Photo: Alexander Raths/ Shutterstock.com]

How to improve existing lawn

If you have a lawn that is unkempt, full of weeds and moss, and lacks vigour, the first thing to decide is if the lawn is worth saving. Improving your lawn can be worthwhile if there are still many grass seedlings covering the entire area. To improve your lawn, mow it very short, scarify and aerate compact soil. Then apply a slow-release lawn fertiliser, such as our Plantura Lawn Feed, and possibly lime. Finally, sow a suitable lawn seed mix.

If, on the other hand, your lawn is almost completely covered in moss or weeds, it is best to turn it over and reseed the area entirely.

Tip: Uniform lawns are best. As such, it is best to either regenerate your current lawn, or reseed a completely new lawn. Do not do half and half.

An existing lawn that has many grass seedlings and weeds — If there are still many grass seedlings all over the area, regeneration is worthwhile [Photo: Sunbunny Studio/ Shutterstock.com]

What to consider when establishing or improving lawns

The right time

It is best to sow a new lawn or improve your current lawn between April and October. Ideally, aim for the end of April to the beginning of May, or between September and October. In general, it is important that the temperature remains above 12°C when you sow your seeds, so that they germinate properly.

Which type of lawn is best?

Lawn seed mixes always consist of several genera, species, and varieties of grass. No lawn variety is good, bad or best; each has different strengths and weaknesses. The trick is to choose the right mix for your needs and conditions. Consult the table above to find out more!

Lawn overseeding

If your lawn is not overly damaged, but is growing slowly and showing minor gaps, opt for overseeding – a fast, mini-lawn regeneration.

Lawn repair

If there are a few large holes in your lawn, caused by molehills or heavy objects, for instance, then it is best to carry out a lawn repair. Our Plantura Lawn Repair Mix is designed specifically to repair damaged lawns!