Best Types of Grass in Arizona (9 Varieties)

Arizona is hot, dry, and perfect for the careers of many a landscape artist. Accordingly, if you own a home in AZ, and you want a lawn, there are some strategic things you need to consider. Especially in Arizona, you need to acquire grass varieties that are resilient, and can take the heat. Here we’ll explore a few different options to help inform your choice. As a general guideline, check out this link to plant hardiness zones as released by the USDA.

Overview of the Best Grass Options for Arizona

For different types of grass in Arizona, Phoenix will not be the same as Flagstaff in terms of climate. Tuscon, Scottsdale, and Mesa are more southern cities, and prefer “warm weather” grass; Flagstaff gets snow. Arizona has multiple “zones”. You have to realize that the best grass for northern Arizona, and the best grass for southern Arizona can be quite different.

As you go north, a mountain range changes the geography of the region, impacting ecology. If you’ve got a new property that needs a new lawn, or you’re replacing an existing lawn, you’ve got to take your position in the state into account.

That said, elevation is more impacting to ecology than latitude and longitude. If you’re down the hill west of Flagstaff on the plain, sure, you’ll want to get similar varieties to what you’d buy in Phoenix. Kingman and Mesquite to the west and north respectively get hot temperatures. Go up the mountain and things get cooler. So with this reality in mind, here are some grass varieties to consider in Arizona.

Best Grass for Northern Arizona

• Kentucky Bluegrass / Tall Fescue Mix
• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Tall Fescue
• Perennial Ryegrass

Best Grass for Southern Arizona

• Zoysia
• Palmetto St. Augustine
• Bermuda Grass
• Buffalograss
• Creeping Red Fescue

9 Types of Grass in Arizona that Do Well + Why

Because of Arizona’s extreme climate variation, some varieties of grass work best when mixed with others for overall hardiness. Flagstaff has a ski resort in winter; they get serious snow. In Phoenix, the concept of “snow” is almost abstract. Things stay warm in Phoenix, and grass varieties need to match. I’m going to run through 9 different types of grass that can do well in the state, depending on your location.

Kentucky Bluegrass/Tall Fescue Mix

You want to think about the best grass for northern Arizona in light of seasonal changes. At high latitudes, a mix makes sense. Kentucky Bluegrass does well above 5,500 feet in elevation, and parts of Flagstaff get to 7,000+ feet; especially up the mountain.

Kentucky Bluegrass will stay healthy annually if you take good care of it. However, even at high elevations, things get hot in summer. So you can’t use the best grass for Arizona winter as your only qualifier here. Mixing in Tall Fescue seed will prepare your lawn for summer as well. It doesn’t hit 100+ on a daily basis in Flagstaff as it does In Phoenix, but things can still get hot for a few days or weeks, depending on the year.

Parts of Arizona It’s Particularly Good for: This mix is an excellent choice for any elevation in the state over 5,500. Since AZ is mountainous, you’ll want to use elevation to help inform your choice, rather than just latitude and longitude as mentioned earlier. Flagstaff, Page, Pinetop Lakeside, and communities around Grand Canyon National Park do well with his mix.

Kentucky Bluegrass

One of the most common types of grass in Arizona is Kentucky Bluegrass; precisely because it tends to flourish so well at high elevations, and through the winter months. Gauge whether you use this variety of seed based on annual climate. If you get regular snow annually, this is a good choice.

However, if you get more than two weeks a year over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, you may want to go with the mix as outlined earlier.

Parts of Arizona It’s Particularly Good for: Flagstaff, Page, Pinetop Lakeside, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, communities along Mica Mountain and Mt. Lemmon that are notably higher in elevation than Tucson, and Alpine, Arizona all do well with Kentucky Bluegrass.

Tall Fescue

Tall Fescue is another example of the best grass for Arizona elevations below 5,500 feet, but higher than Phoenix. Creeping Red Fescue does better below elevations of 3,500 feet. Tall Fescue flourishes between 3,500 and 7,500 feet, but as mentioned earlier, once you get above 5,500 feet, you want to look at varying mixes, and options like Kentucky Bluegrass. That said, Tall Fescue can handle some shade, and it is able to take the arid dryness of the state.

Parts of Arizona It’s Particularly Good for: Flagstaff and communities that silhouette the mountain down the hill do well with Tall Fescue. Halfway up the mountain from Tucson, the same is true. Prescott, Camp Verde, down the hill from the Kaibab Uplift near Grand Canyon; all are good Tall Fescue regions.

Perennial Ryegrass

Another of the many types of grass in Arizona that tend to do well in the north is Perennial Ryegrass. A lot of folks over-seed deliberately with perennial ryegrass. There are annual ryegrass options, these don’t tend to do as well owing to the heat of the summer. This is a winter grass, so look at your elevation.

Parts of Arizona It’s Particularly Good for: Communities that are at an elevation of between 3,500 and 7,500 feet do well with Perennial Ryegrass, with an emphasis on the higher altitudes. Flagstaff, Prescott, etc.

Zoysia

As you head south, the best grass for Arizona will be varieties that can handle the very literal heat. However, it’s a “limited use” grass. A lot of soil is very “basic”, it’s got a high pH, and Zoysia doesn’t like that. However, though this grass does well in hot climates, it can grow at elevations as high as 7,000 feet, meaning it can be used up north. Really, the soil is the deciding factor here.

Parts of Arizona It’s Particularly Good for: Phoenix and surrounding areas tend to feature Zoysia, but those with deep green Zoysia lawns are careful to pH balance the soil to meet the preferences of the grass. Essentially, manage soil well, and you can grow this grass anywhere under 7k feet.

Palmetto St. Augustine

Palmetto St. Augustine is one of the most commonly sought types of grass in Arizona for two reasons: it does well in shade, and it can handle the heat. So a shady, cool lawn of Palmetto St. Augustine will look good and stay healthy throughout the year. This grass is darker, and has a finer texture than traditional St. Augustine grass varieties. It will thrive in full sunlight as well as shade; it’s a resilient grass.

Parts of Arizona It’s Particularly Good for: Basically, if you’re under 3,500 feet, this is a good choice. It can live at higher altitudes, but it doesn’t handle winter as well as heat and shade. If you don’t get snow where you live in AZ, this is a good choice.

Bermuda Grass

Another option for a lawn grass in Arizona is Bermuda Grass, which tends to do very well when temperatures are high, or there’s a lot of sunlight. Also, this is the best grass for Arizona summer if you don’t have a lot of deep soil. You need to water it a lot (that’s par for the course for most lawns in arid AZ), and fertilizer treatments help the grass gain a strong foothold.

Parts of Arizona It’s Particularly Good for: Phoenix and Tucson are good areas for Bermuda Grass. Elevations under 3,500 feet in AZ do well with this grass. Kingman and Mesquite are generally more “hot” than areas like Prescott or Flagstaff, so you want to look into Bermuda Grass in such areas.

Buffalograss

Buffalograss fights through droughts. It needs water and fertilizer, but this grass can stay strong and healthy even when things get hot and arid for long swathes of time in AZ. Buffalograss is native to the region, so this is perhaps the best grass for southern Arizona, full stop.

Parts of Arizona It’s Particularly Good for: Phoenix, Tuscon, Kingman, and Mesquite will be environments friendly to Buffalograss.

Creeping Red Fescue

Creeping Red Fescue has excellent heat and shade tolerance, making it ideal for southern areas of AZ. Fertilizer and irrigation are key. Give the grass the nutrients it needs, and a drink every now and again. This grass does best under elevations of 3,500 feet in AZ, though like Tall Fescue, it can be combined with other seed varieties.

Parts of Arizona It’s Particularly Good for: Scottsdale, Mesa, Phoenix, Tucson, Kingman, and Mesquite are all good areas for Red Fescue.

The Right Grass for the Right Arizona Yard

When the dust settles you’ve got options. Just be well aware of the climate and elevation. If you’re in the southern parts of the state, or areas of low elevation where the climate tends to be arid and desert-like, you’ll want grasses that can handle the heat. That means Creeping Red Fescue, Buffalo Grass, Bermuda Grass, Palmetto St. Augustine, and Zoysia varieties.

Meanwhile, if you’re up north, you’ll want Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, and maybe even a Kentucky Bluegrass/Tall Fescue mix. Which is best depends on your precise area. The largest population center in Northern Arizona is Flagstaff, and these grass varieties tend to do best there. However, as you go north, south, east, or west of Flagstaff, topography lowers in elevation.

As elevation decreases, you want to explore different varieties of grass that can handle heat. This is where mixing seed comes in. Tall Fescue and Creeping Red Fescue differ in what they prefer in terms of climate. Kentucky Bluegrass can be a good seed mix to help your lawn stay healthy through the seasons.

As a rule of thumb: if you get snow in winter, whether you’re physically in the “north” or “south” of the state, use northern varieties.