Types of Grass in Colorado: The Common Lawn Grasses
Marcus GreenTurf Management Pro | 18 YearsShort answer: Colorado is cool-season lawn country, but the real question here is water, not cold. Kentucky bluegrass is the traditional Colorado lawn, with tall fescue and fine fescue using less, and native buffalograss the low-water alternative that stays green on a fraction of the irrigation. Your elevation and how much you want to water decide which one fits.
Colorado's high, dry, semi-arid climate makes water the deciding factor in a lawn, not winter hardiness. Colorado State University Extension notes a high-quality bluegrass or ryegrass lawn may need up to 2.25 inches of water per week under hot, dry, windy summer conditions, while native grasses get by on far less. This guide covers each common Colorado grass, ranked by thirst, and how to tell which is in your yard.
The types of grass that grow in Colorado
Kentucky Bluegrass
Kentucky Bluegrass is the traditional Colorado lawn, the dense, deep-green turf on most Front Range properties. It has excellent heat and cold tolerance and spreads by rhizomes to self-repair, which is why it makes such a durable sod. The catch is water: it is the thirstiest common choice, needing up to 2.25 inches per week in peak summer, though CSU notes it has good drought resistance and can go dormant and survive long periods without water if you let it brown out.
Tall Fescue
Tall Fescue is the lower-water, tougher cool-season choice. CSU says turf-type tall fescue may perform well with less water than a bluegrass lawn if it can grow a deep root system, and rates it drought resistant, deep-rooted, with excellent heat and cold tolerance that also does well in shade and establishes quickly. The trade-off is a coarser blade and a bunching habit that does not knit together the way bluegrass does.
Perennial Ryegrass
Perennial Ryegrass is the fast-starting blend partner. CSU credits it with quick establishment and good heat tolerance, and it does not form thatch, which is why it rides in Colorado bluegrass mixes for quick cover and overseeding. Its weaknesses are shade and exposed-winter hardiness, so it belongs in a blend rather than a stand-alone lawn, and it drinks about as much as bluegrass.
Fine Fescue
Fine Fescue is Colorado's shade and high-country grass. CSU calls it an excellent high elevation/mountain grass with very good shade tolerance that is very cold tolerant and tolerates poor, rocky, sandy, or clay soil conditions. Its needle-fine blades prefer drier soils and thrive where bluegrass struggles, under trees and up in the mountains, usually blended into a low-water seed mix.
Buffalograss
Buffalograss is Colorado's native low-water lawn, the grass to plant if you want green without the water bill. CSU calls it native to Colorado and much of the North American Great Plains and a highly drought-resistant native plant whose lawn can remain green and attractive on 50-75 percent less irrigation than Kentucky bluegrass. The trade-offs: it needs full sun (at least a half day), greens up late in mid-to-late May, browns with the first hard frost, and is not recommended above about 6,500 feet.
Two more grasses fill narrower Colorado roles. Blue grama is the other CSU-sanctioned native: paired with buffalograss, CSU notes their lawns can remain green for weeks without watering, even during the hottest summer weather, though it is not adapted to high elevations above 6,500 feet. Bermudagrass is best left off the list: CSU treats it mainly as a weed that is difficult to eradicate, not a recommended Colorado lawn grass, and it only survives at all in the lowest, hottest parts of the state.
Colorado grass types compared at a glance
| Grass | Season | Best role | Sun / shade | Water need | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Bluegrass | Cool | Traditional dense lawn | Sun to light shade | High (up to 2.25 in/wk) | Medium-high |
| Tall Fescue | Cool | Lower-water durable lawn | Sun to shade | Moderate (deep roots) | Low-medium |
| Perennial Ryegrass | Cool | Fast-start blend partner | Sun, poor shade | High | Medium |
| Fine Fescue | Cool | Shade and high-elevation | Best shade tolerance | Low | Low |
| Buffalograss | Warm | Native low-water lawn | Full sun (needs 1/2 day+) | Very low (50-75% less) | Low |
How to tell which type you already have
Most Colorado lawn grasses are fine-bladed cool-season types that stay green through winter; buffalograss and blue grama are the exceptions, native warm-season grasses that go straw-tan after the first hard frost. Only Kentucky bluegrass and buffalograss truly spread; tall fescue, ryegrass, and fine fescue grow in clumps.
| Grass | Blade | Growth habit | Standout tell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Bluegrass | Fine, soft | Spreads by rhizomes, dense sod | Boat-shaped blade tip; open seed-head panicle |
| Tall Fescue | Wide, coarse, rough edges | Bunching, no runners | Grows in clumps, coarser than the rest |
| Perennial Ryegrass | Fine to medium, glossy | Bunching | Shiny blade underside; fast to sprout |
| Fine Fescue | Very fine, needle-like | Bunching, some creeping | Wispy, thread-thin blades in shade |
| Buffalograss | Fine, blue-green, curly | Spreads by stolons, low | Soft blue-green mat; goes straw-tan after frost |
Still not certain? Our free AI grass identifier reads a close-up photo, names the grass, and builds a 12-month care plan tuned to your ZIP.
Which types grow in your part of Colorado
In Colorado, elevation is the master filter. CSU caps the warm-season natives at about 6,500 feet, so which grass fits depends less on your town than on how high and how dry you are. The pattern that emerges from CSU's water, shade, and elevation ratings:
- Front Range and Western Slope (lower elevation, semi-arid, high summer demand): Kentucky bluegrass lawns dominate but carry the highest water bill. Tall fescue cuts that with deeper roots, and buffalograss or blue grama are the sanctioned low-water alternatives below 6,500 feet in full sun.
- High mountains (above about 6,500 to 7,000 feet): The native warm-season grasses drop out. Fine fescue is CSU's excellent high-elevation pick, with Kentucky bluegrass for cold tolerance.
- Hot southeast corner and low valleys: The warmest, driest ground, where buffalograss and blue grama shine as low-water natives. Bermuda persists here too, but as a weed, not a recommended lawn.
- Shade anywhere: Fine fescue and tall fescue; bluegrass, ryegrass, and the natives all struggle out of full sun.
Colorado grass timing that matters
The key Colorado timing rule is that cool-season and native warm-season grasses go in at different times. Soil temperature drives the rest:
- Cool-season seeding (bluegrass, ryegrass, fescues): CSU allows March through September, with the optimal window mid-August to mid-September on the Front Range and Western Slope. Fine fescue seeds best in September at lower elevations.
- Native warm-season seeding (buffalograss, blue grama): CSU says April through July, and seeding after July is not recommended, so young seedlings harden off before winter.
- Spring pre-emergent: put crabgrass pre-emergent down in spring before the soil warms through about 55F.
- Green-up and dormancy: cool-season grasses green up first in spring; buffalograss and blue grama green up later, in mid-to-late May, and go straw-colored after the first hard fall frost.
Our herbicide timing tool pins the exact pre-emergent date for your ZIP.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common grass in Colorado?
Kentucky bluegrass. It is the traditional Front Range lawn, prized for its dense, self-repairing turf and cold tolerance. Its downside is water: CSU says a bluegrass lawn can need up to 2.25 inches per week in peak summer.
What is the best low-water grass for Colorado?
Buffalograss, a Colorado native. CSU says a buffalograss lawn can stay green and attractive on 50 to 75 percent less irrigation than Kentucky bluegrass. It needs full sun, greens up late, and is not recommended above about 6,500 feet. Blue grama is the other native low-water option.
How many types of grass grow in Colorado?
Five do most of the work: cool-season Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, and fine fescue, plus native buffalograss for low water. Blue grama is a second native option, and bermudagrass is treated as a weed rather than a recommended lawn.
What grass grows best in the Colorado mountains?
Fine fescue, which CSU calls an excellent high-elevation and mountain grass with very good shade and cold tolerance. The native warm-season grasses, buffalograss and blue grama, are not adapted above about 6,500 feet.
When should I plant grass in Colorado?
Cool-season grasses can go in from March through September, with mid-August to mid-September the ideal window per CSU. Native buffalograss and blue grama are seeded April through July, since seeding after July is not recommended.
Sources
- Colorado State University Extension, Lawn Care (Fact Sheet 7.202) and Turfgrass Species Selection Guidelines.
- CSU Extension, Buffalograss Lawns (Fact Sheet 7.230) and Fine Fescues for Lawns.
- CSU Extension, Renovating the Home Lawn (Fact Sheet 7.241).
Next steps
Once you know your grass type, the care gets specific. Dig into the full guides for Kentucky Bluegrass, Tall Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, or Fine Fescue, or line any two up in our grass comparison tool.
And if you are not sure what is growing out there, start with a quick photo on our free grass identifier.
Image credits
- Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) growing as a Colorado lawn, close-up of blade texture and growth habit — Photo: Pilot138-17 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) growing as a Colorado lawn, close-up of blade texture and growth habit — Photo: wild_wind / iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
- Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) growing as a Colorado lawn, close-up of blade texture and growth habit — Photo: Harry Rose / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Fine Fescue (Festuca spp.) growing as a Colorado lawn, close-up of blade texture and growth habit — Photo: iNaturalist · CC0
- Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides) growing as a Colorado lawn, close-up of blade texture and growth habit — Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC0
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