“Doc, what’s wrong with me?”

No, not the answer to that question. It’s not quite so dire.

But no one wants to hear the answer to this question, either:

“What kind of grass will grow in the shade under my trees?”

The answer is, there is not a grass that will grow in deep shade. Period. Sure, some box stores will sell you a bag of seed called “Shade Grass Blend.” This will be mostly fescue seed, which is a cool-season grass and not suitable for the heat in North Texas and Southern Oklahoma. If may look good for a few months, but during hot weather, it requires enormous amounts of water and will soon fade away.

St. Augustine and Zoysia grasses will tolerate some shade, but still need at least 5 hours of sun per day to survive and thrive.

If you have less sun that that, no amount of fertilizer or water will make your lawn grass thrive. In fact, folks often ruin their soil by over-applying fertilizer in an effort to get grass to grow in places where it will not.

But take heart. First, your shade trees add thousands of dollars of value to your property. Second, there are many ways to have a beautiful yard in shade. We can recommend ground covers, shade-loving shrubs and some hardscapes.

The good news is, all these solutions require much less maintenance than lawn grass. Just take some photos and bring them to us, and we will be happy to suggest some solutions.