Best Grass for Brisbane Climate
Any lawn variety you choose for either south-east or north Queensland must be able to cope with dry, sub-tropical to tropical conditions. There’s not one particular variety ...
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Melbourne’s weather is notorious for being changeable. You don’t just get four seasons in one year in Melbourne, you get them all in one day!
So, when it comes to the best lawn recommendations for Melbourne, there’s not one variety that comes out on top.
The best warm season grass varieties for Melbourne are Buffalo, Kikuyu, Couch and certain Zoysia grasses.
Remember that Melbourne’s weather is different to both New South Wales and Queensland and predominantly has become quite wet in the spring and summer months with dryer, colder winters.
Before any decisions are made you need to find a lawn that suits your demographics and personal needs. Look at these lawn characteristics:
Then based on what characteristics you need and want in a lawn you can choose from a large selection of grasses – Buffalo, Kikuyu, Couch and Zoysia.
Buffalo grasses are comfortable, convenient and easy to maintain and an ideal choice for Melbourne and Victoria’s backyards.
Buffalo grass is also adept at handling the varying seasonal conditions that occur in Melbourne and surrounding regions.
Buffalo also has self-repairing qualities, making it ideal for high-traffic situations such as a family yard.
Behind Buffalo grasses hard-wearing characteristics are deep roots as well as fast-growing stolons and runners that enable quick recovery from lots of traffic.
Due to Buffalo grasses large, deep rooted system it is an efficient water user and can stay greener for longer during dry (drought) conditions.
Buffalo lawns are also known for bouncing back quickly once drought and water restrictions have ended.
When buying a lawn, getting the darkest green colour possible can be one of your top priorities for your Melbourne backyard.
For those who desire the darkest green lawn in the street, Prestige Buffalo should be your choice and can be grown anywhere in Victoria.
Prestige is also known as the Next Generation Buffalo as it is one of the newest Buffalos on the market having been bred from Sir Walter but with all its characteristics enhanced to suit Buffalo lawn lovers.
Due to its large, deep rooted system, it is an efficient water user and stays green longer in dry conditions. For these same reasons, it is able to cope with cold and stay green longer in winter and bounces back when spring occurs.
Added to Prestige’s darkest green colour is its fast growth habit meaning it recovers quickly from wear damage from pets and kids.
Shade cover and heavy wear areas of up to 50% are also not a problem for Prestige Buffalo.
Thatch can also cause a lawn to become very spongy; Prestige turf is a low thatch variety and due to this fact cuts down on maintenance.
Prestige Buffalo costs between $13 to $16.50 per square metre. Your local Victorian grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool. To get more Prestige Buffalo info, visit our Prestige Buffalo info page and get 3 quotes from your local growers today.
Not only is a Sapphire buffalo lawn hard wearing, due to its quick recovery from wear damage, but it is one of the most shade tolerant Buffalo grasses on the market.
Sapphire’s folding leaf creates a lawn that is unbeatably soft.
Because of its deep root system, Sapphire has excellent cold tolerance – it has a brilliant winter colour in Melbourne and holds its winter colour longer than most varieties. With its deep root system, Sapphire is also an efficient water user and drought tolerant.
Sapphire turf is a favourite of ours for Melbourne because the kids can play and fall, and leave diverts without getting hurt and a bonus is that it won’t worry the grass.
Large pets are also able to rough and tumble on this soft leaf Sapphire Buffalo without causing too much damage – but with the strong rhizome growth recovery is quick and effective.
We believe it is the only fine textured, quick recovering Buffalo grass in the world. And a Sapphire buffalo lawn also has excellent disease tolerance, and a great winter colour.
Sapphire Buffalo costs between $10 to $15 per square metre. Your local Victorian grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool. To get more Sapphire Buffalo info, visit our Sapphire Buffalo info page and get 3 quotes from your local Sapphire growers today.
On average, Palmetto turf has 75.5% better winter colour than other buffalo grass types, this means you will have the greenest grass all year round in Melbourne.
Palmetto lawn also offers all the additional benefits of a hardy buffalo turf the Palmetto is a great option for the gardener who really wants their turf to shine.
Palmetto is low maintenance as it grows slower than other Buffalo varieties, therefore it requires less mowing and less fertiliser.
Palmetto turf also has a high tolerance to shade making it ideal for yards sheltered by trees, garden shrubs or house eaves.
Palmetto turf has also fared as one of the best for drought tolerance against all other Buffalo varieties trialled thanks to a deep-rooted system that seeks out water.
Palmetto Buffalo costs between $10 to $15 per square metre. Your local Victorian grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool. To get more Palmetto Buffalo info, visit our Palmetto Buffalo info page and get 3 quotes from your local Palmetto growers today.
Kikuyu grass is generally regarded as one of the more “vigorous” grasses, and the most economical lawn.
Kikuyu lawn thrives in full sun which makes it perfect for all Australian homes it also has a high cold tolerance making it ideal for Melbourne’s extreme chilly weather.
It will regenerate quickly if worn out, which is why Kikuyu turf is often used for families with pets and kids, schools and sports fields.
The main problem with Kikuyu grass is that its fast-growing nature means that it can become invasive, requiring frequent mowing through the warmer parts of the year.
Care must be taken to stop Kikuyu from escaping the confines of your lawn and spreading to other parts of your yard or garden, even crossing over to a neighbour’s yard.
Unlike common Kikuyu, Kenda grass is bred to be sterile and produce minimal seed head meaning it is less likely to spread into surrounding garden beds or onto foot paths.
Kenda’s sterile seed head also means it has low allergenic characteristics which reduces its likelihood of causing problems for allergy sufferers.
Thanks to Kenda’s strong root system that grows vigorously, it is an efficient water user, highly drought tolerant and handles all kinds of wear and tear – whether it’s from large dogs, active kids or regular backyard parties.
Kenda is and an ideal choice for areas with low rainfall or council water restrictions.
Kenda Kikuyu costs between $7 to $11 per square metre. Your local Victorian grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool. To get more Kenda Kikuyu info, visit our Kenda Kikuyu info page and get 3 quotes from your local growers today.
Zoysia grass is a lovely attractive, drought and wear tolerant grass that is still new to Victorian yards and landscapes.
For a Victorian homeowner wanting a lawn that requires less mowing, is water-wise and hard wearing and has an eye-catching dark green colour – a Zoysia turf is your answer.
This popular grass has a deep-rooted, underground runner system that allows Zoysia turf to endure extreme climates such as heat, humidity and sub-zero temperatures.
Zoysia lawns are known for being incredibly soft, with no chance of irritating or scratching the skin.
Zoysia lawns also grow incredibly slowly, making it attractive for those who aren’t a huge fan of mowing.
The slow growth of Zoysia turf also means that managing potential invasion of surrounding garden beds is made much easier.
Empire Zoysia is easy growing and adaptable to Victoria’s changing conditions and performs well in all soil types, including clay and sandy soils.
It’s deep root and underground runner system allows Empire lawn to endure extreme climates and can handle heat and humidity as well as sub-zero temperatures.
Requiring less mowing, fertiliser and weeding than other grass types, Empire turf has earnt its title as “the low maintenance lawn”.
Empire is an efficient water user and highly drought tolerant. It’s an ideal choice for areas with low rainfall or council water restrictions.
Empire Zoysia costs between $12 to $16 per square metre. Your local Victorian grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool. To get more Empire Zoysia info, visit our Empire Zoysia info page and get 3 quotes from your local Empire growers today.
Nara Native Zoysia is a true all-rounder that will perform well in Victoria’s tough conditions, without sacrificing on looks or feel.
Native to Australia, Nara is naturally equipped to handle hot, dry climates, humid conditions and even the cold Melbourne climate, but has the added bonus of being soft to touch.
Evolution within the Australian environment has given it some distinct advantages – Nara is an efficient water user and highly drought tolerant.
Nara turf is an ideal choice for areas with low rainfall or council water restrictions.
Nara is also both naturally salt tolerant and more resistant to the pests and diseases that can affect Aussie lawns. It’s perfect for coastal areas and can be used for beach and waterfront properties.
Nara Native Zoysia costs between $11 to $16 per square metre. Your local Victorian grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool. To get more Nara Zoysia info, visit our Nara Zoysia info page and get 3 quotes from your local growers today.
Couch grass is a consistently popular grass as it is easy-going and can make for a great-looking lawn when treated correctly.
Couch is one of the toughest grasses on the market to hold up against wear and tear and can repair itself rather quickly due to its vigorous underground runners.
However, these runners can also cause problems regarding Couch creeping into other non-lawn areas, so the areas adjacent to any Couch grass should be monitored carefully in order to avoid this.
Couch grass will stay relatively vibrant in all seasons; however care should be taken in warmer months to mow it regularly, and to fertilise and nourish it in colder months. Otherwise it may become patchy and unsightly.
Couch varieties such as OZTUFF® and Stadium® Sports have excellent wear and tear due to their robust deep-rooted system and cope with Queensland’s conditions.
OZTUFF is a proven Couch variety that copes well with Melbourne’s conditions both north and south.
OZTUFF has hard wearing and fast recovery characteristics – great for pets and kids – due to the strength in its moderate thatch layer that protects the grass runners and stem growth.
A robust deep-rooted system means OZTUFF is more drought resistance that other grasses.
OZTUFF Couch costs between $8 to $10 per square metre. Your local Victorian grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool. To get more OzTuff info, visit our OzTuff information page and get 3 quotes from your local growers today.
Stadium Sports Couch is another variety that handles all of Victoria’s erratic seasonal conditions.
Stadium has been bred to tolerate very high traffic areas – such as sporting fields and backyards with active children and dogs.
Stadium Couch’s fast aggressive runner growth and a good dense stolon base allows it to quickly recover from damage and wear.
The natural survival characteristics of Stadium and the large number of underground runners make it tough and hardy during drought conditions.
Stadium Couch costs between $8 to $10 per square metre. Your local Victorian grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool. To get more Stadium Couch info, visit our Stadium® Sports Couch info page and get 3 quotes from your local growers today.
If you are looking for a turf recommendation for your local climate, find guides for each city below.
Or check out our handy Quick Lawn Selection Guide
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