When you’re looking for a home in Nashville, a velvety, emerald lawn can rocket the house to the top of your list. Outdoor aesthetics and curb appeal matter. But even if the yard is not up to par, in time, it can be. You just need to know the best grass types for Tennessee’s capital city. Whether you're preparing to sell are just want the perfect lawn surrounding your outdoor living space, the right grass is out there.

Nashville is in the transition zone climate, with hot summers and cold winters. Both cool and warm season grasses grow here, giving you several options when choosing the best grass seed.

Tall Fescue

Tall fescue grass is an excellent and popular choice for your Nashville lawn because it has adapted to humid areas with an average of 16 inches of precipitation or more annually. That’s good news, as summers in Music City are muggy and average around 47 inches of yearly precipitation.

Tall fescue is a cool-season grass that’s winter-hardy but also tolerates heat very well. It stands up to both drought and wet soil. The best time to plant tall fescue is between March 1st and May 1st or late August to mid-October. 

Fine Fescue

Fine fescue has an extremely fine leaf texture and grows well in various soil types. It’s a cool-season grass that requires little maintenance and offers several advantages, including:

• Higher drought tolerance, so less irrigation is needed
• Slower growth, meaning fewer rounds with the mower
• Requires less fertilizer 
• Thrives in poor soil conditions

Fine fescue is moderately tolerant to shade and doesn’t do well in extremely high temperatures. The one downside is that fine fescue also doesn’t handle foot traffic very well, so you may need to tell neighbors to keep off the grass. However, fescues are the easiest grasses to grow in middle Tennessee.

Perennial Ryegrass

Another cool-season grass, perennial ryegrass, is popular in Nashville, often adorning athletic fields, parks, and golf courses because it has the highest wear tolerance of any cool-season grasses. 

It germinates faster than any other common lawn seed—perfect if you’re looking for a turf grass that establishes quickly. Perennial ryegrass returns every year, as opposed to annual ryegrass, which dies after one season.

On the downside, perennial ryegrass can sometimes appear patchy and often struggles to grow in shady areas. 

Bermudagrass

Many Nashville homeowners turn to bermudagrass for their lawn needs. This warm-season, sun-loving grass is ideal for hosting outdoor parties, as it tolerates foot traffic quite well. 

This deep-rooted grass often decorates sports fields because of its durability. It’s also resistant to drought and recovers from damage quickly due to its fast growth rate.

On the downside, that quick growth means bermudagrass needs frequent mowing, develops thatch easily, and requires regular fertilization. It also has a low insect tolerance and may need routine pesticide treatments. 

Zoysia Grass

This warm-season grass loves sunshine but can handle partial shade. It tends to thin out, however, in full shade. Zoysia produces a dense lawn and quickly grows in the spring and summer. If this is your choice of turf grass, you should lay sod rather than seed. This provides an instant lawn and helps reduce weeds. 

Zoysia grass needs weekly mowing but can be hard to cut due to its thickness. This turf grass turns brown with the first frost and stays dormant over the winter.  

Maximize Your Curb Appeal 

Maintaining a healthy, attractive lawn by choosing the right turf grass creates an inviting space around your house for you and others to enjoy. It’s also advantageous if you decide to sell your Nashville home. Buyers will be drawn in by the curb appeal and leave with a great first impression.