After living in San Jose for forty years, I was used to grass going dormant during the winter, and the lawn mower got put away from November until April.
Here in Ferndale, it is plainly obvious why this became a dairy town. Grass grows extremely well here. Since our house is surrounded on three sides by pastures, keeping the various grasses out of our garden is a constant chore. I’ve often wondered how many different types of grass we have, and now with the Seek app at my disposal I can start identifying them. We have grasses that are only a couple inches high, and some that will reach 5 feet if I let them get away.
Currently, we have no lawn that I planted, although there are plans for a small manicured lawn in the backyard, and there’s a lawn of sorts in the rose garden that is merely a mowed collection of whatever grasses and weeds appear on their own.
Annual Grasses
Rabbitsfoot Grass
(Polypogon monspeliensis) – Invasive species introduced from southern Europe. I do like the look of this one, and we transplanted a few clumps of it to an area by the pond. Flowers and seeds June-July.
Perennial Grasses
Yorkshire Fog Grass
(Holcus lanatus) – Invasive species introduced from Europe. Cows supposedly don’t like it.