Poa pratensis (Kentucky Bluegrass)
Kentucky Bluegrass, Smooth Meadow Grass, Common Meadow Grass, June Grass, Kentucky Blue Grass, Meadow Grass, Natural Grass, Smooth-Stalked Grass
A traditional favorite for northern lawns, Poa pratensis (Kentucky Bluegrass) is a densely tufted, cool season grass noted for its smooth, fine-textured, linear, blue-green blades. It remains green most of the year, but may go dormant during the heat of summer. However, Kentucky Bluegrass has good recuperative ability. As soon as the weather cools and rain returns, the grass turns green again. Clusters of silvery blue-green spikelets are produced in summer. Kentucky Bluegrass creeps by underground rhizomes to form a dense mat. It is an excellent erosion control plant because of its dense, vigorous turf forming habit. It also provides a dense green sod particularly adapted for parks and home lawns. Kentucky Bluegrass gives Kentucky the name Bluegrass State.
- Grows up to 30 in. tall (90 cm) and 6 in. wide (15 cm).
- Performs best in full sun to part shade, in average, moist, neutral to slightly acidic, well-drained soils. Prefers full sun in northern climates, but appreciates afternoon shade in hot summer areas. Provide frequent irrigation and periodic applications of fertilizer in spring and fall.
- Keep an eye out for dollar spot, leaf spots, stripe smut, powdery mildew, summer patch, root-eating grubs, cutworms, billbugs and sod webworms.
- Can be mowed to 2 in. high (5 cm) in spring and fall, and 3 in. high in summer (7 cm).
- This plant may become weedy or invasive in some U.S. regions
- Native to Europe, but has naturalized throughout much of North America.
Requirements
| Hardiness |
3 - 7 |
|---|---|
| Climate Zones | 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, A1, A2, A3 |
| Plant Type | Ornamental Grasses |
| Plant Family | Poaceae |
| Exposure | Full Sun, Partial Sun |
| Season of Interest |
Spring (Early, Mid, Late) Summer (Early, Mid, Late) Fall Winter |
| Height |
4" - 3' (10cm - 90cm) |
| Spread | 6" (20cm) |
| Maintenance | Average |
| Water Needs | Average |
| Soil Type | Clay, Loam, Sand |
| Soil pH | Acid, Neutral |
| Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained |
| Characteristics | Showy |
| Native Plants | Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Midwest, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northeast, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Rocky Mountains, South Carolina, South Dakota, Southeast, Southwest, Tennessee, Texas, United States, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
| Attracts | Butterflies |
| Garden Uses | Ground Covers |
| Garden Styles | Prairie and Meadow |
Matt Lavin, Flickr
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
Requirements
| Hardiness |
3 - 7 |
|---|---|
| Climate Zones | 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, A1, A2, A3 |
| Plant Type | Ornamental Grasses |
| Plant Family | Poaceae |
| Exposure | Full Sun, Partial Sun |
| Season of Interest |
Spring (Early, Mid, Late) Summer (Early, Mid, Late) Fall Winter |
| Height |
4" - 3' (10cm - 90cm) |
| Spread | 6" (20cm) |
| Maintenance | Average |
| Water Needs | Average |
| Soil Type | Clay, Loam, Sand |
| Soil pH | Acid, Neutral |
| Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained |
| Characteristics | Showy |
| Native Plants | Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Midwest, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northeast, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Rocky Mountains, South Carolina, South Dakota, Southeast, Southwest, Tennessee, Texas, United States, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
| Attracts | Butterflies |
| Garden Uses | Ground Covers |
| Garden Styles | Prairie and Meadow |
