Depending on the intended use, lawns can be either ornamental or utilitarian. The former being for display purposes, is usually fragile, thin and requires more care; the latter is more resistant and tolerant to heavy use.

 

Once the use of the purpose of the lawn has been defined, choose the best kind of seeds for that use, since it is the seeds that determine the differences between lawns.

 

A lawn is made up of different kinds of grasses, a family with about 10,000 different species of which only 20 are used in a lawn and a dozen are the most commonly used. Depending on its adaptability to climate, they are classified into cool climate seeds and hot climate seeds for subtropical and Mediterranean weather.

 

Each species has its own characteristics respect to fundamental factors such as resistance to droughts, ability to thrive in shady areas, tolerance to walking traffic, adaptability to the soil, germination cycle or the proper time of cutting. Understanding these differences is very important at the time of choosing the most appropriate seeds for a specific garden, but this implies an in depth knowledge of gardening that most people do not have. For this reason, it�s advisable to ask a landscaper or an expert at a gardening store to recommend an appropriate seed blend for your garden.

 

Here are some of the key points to understand about choosing the best lawn for you.

 

Intended Use
For ornamental purposes we recommend a mixture of Festuca rubra and  Agrostis stolonifera, two kinds of grass in which elegance and beauty prevails over resistance to constant stepping.

 

Mixed seeds for utilitarian lawns vary as they require combinations of thin and thick foliage. A good mixture will have Lolium perenne, Poa pratense, Festuca rubra and Agrostis tenuis seeds.

 

Most family lawns have more of a utilitarian than a decorative purpose. For this reason, the best choice would be a mixture of Lolium perenne and Poas, two species that do not demand complicated maintenance and tolerate heavy usage.

 

Continental climates
Seed varieties such as Lolium perenne, Festuca rubra, Festuca ovina, Festuca arundinacea and Poa pretense are appropriate for temperatures variations experienced in continental Europe and the Spanish interior.

 

Atlantic climate lawns
Some of the most commonly used seeds in lawns in the Atlantic region are Poa pratense, Agrostis stolonifera, Lolium perenne, Festuca rubra, Festuca ovina and Dichondra repens. This last one is one of the few non grain grasses, since it grows well in temperate zones and also in shaded areas.

 

Warm climate lawns
In warm climate zones, such as the Mediterranean coast,  seeds tolerant to heat which do not require a lot of water are appropriate. These seeds include Cynodon dactylon, Zoysia japonesa, Paspalum notatum and Pennisetum clandestinum.

 

Seed producers are constantly improving the characteristics of grass varieties, increasing their  advantages and decreasing their disadvantages. Further, dealers and stores offer the seeds into user friendly packaging.

 

However, there are extreme examples where any natural grass would be difficult, so artificial grass in an appropriate substitution. These artificial grasses are made of synthetic materials fixed to the ground with glue. It is used for sports fields, borders, near swimming pools, and terraces.