At the end of the day, I'd prefer to keep it simple with Bermuda where the sun can get to it and then a simple decorative grass or rock treatment in the shaded areas. But there are other higher maintenance and more expensive options as well listed below.
Bermuda is the best warm-season turf grass and the most commonly planted grass in Oklahoma. It is by far the the best-adapted grass for full-sun areas. It has excellent heat and drought tolerance during the summer and is sufficiently winter hardy. It is an aggressive, species that spreads rapidly by above-ground stolons and below-ground rhizomes. Its readily available and inexpensive to install. However, Bermuda doesn't tolerate shaded areas, so a cool-season turf grass such as tall fescue, can be seeded (ideally in the fall) if a permanent turf is desired. Certain fescues have been created for the Oklahoma climate but they will still need to be watered much more frequently. You can select a cool-season grass to provide a green cover the entire year in a properly watered and fertilized shaded and irrigated area. If high maintenance is your think then, tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass can be grown in full sun, but requires more frequent watering during the summer than bermuda grass to prevent wilting, thinning, and a loss of turf density. Zoysia grass is another type of warm-season grass that can be suitable for a shade grass in Oklahoma. However its greatest liability is that it takes a long time to establish. Zoysia grass requires more frequent watering than bermuda to prevent wilting but has lower annual fertilizer requirements. Zoysia is also not a low maintenance grass. Its winter hardiness and its ability to grow under light shade are its desirable features. Its considerably more expensive to install. Perennial ryegrass and annual ryegrass can also be utilized for overseeding into dormant warm-season turfgrasses or for soil stabilization during the fall and spring when a turf cover is rapidly needed. Perennial ryegrass is commonly seeded into an established bermuda turf when a fine-textured, green turf cover is desired from October through April. Annual ryegrass is less expensive and is also successfully used for the same purpose, although it provides an inferior quality winter turf. Annual ryegrass is also commonly used for temporary soil stabilization on construction sites that are completed during the fall and winter, when conditions are unfavorable for establishment of warm-season turf grasses. Buffalo grass is a warm-season, sod-forming, native prairie grass that spreads by stolons. It has a fine texture and a grayish-green color. It has excellent tolerance for the heat, drought, and cold conditions found in Oklahoma. Buffalo grass is best suited to full-sun sites in areas of Oklahoma receiving 12 to 25 inches of rainfall per year. (Oklahoma City MSA receives an average 36 inches of rainfall per year). It grows best on heavy-textured soils and has some tolerance of alkaline soils. Buffalo grass is another option for unirrigated smaller lawns and main choice in western Oklahoma. Buffalo grass can be established from seed or from sod (preferably female sod) and like Zoysia grass, it is also much more expensive to install. At the end of the day, I'd prefer to keep it simple with Bermuda where the sun can get to it and then a simple grass or rock treatment where the sun is covered. Since 1992, Oklahoma City-based Landscapes Plus has provided full service landscape solutions to commercial property managers and owners. Contact Steve at 405-613-2933 or James at 405-410-3084 to see how our experience can bring benefit to your property.
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