Grass Seed for Family Gardens

With its temperate climate – cool, wet winters and mild, wet summers – and fertile soil, the UK is generally blessed with beautiful green lawns. A lawn in a family back garden, however, takes a bit of a beating.

Your family garden needs to be planted with a tough yet aesthetically appealing grass that can withstand being used on an almost daily basis as a sports field, playground, entertaining space, pet park and a host of other functions.

So, when it comes to laying a lawn that will be enjoyed by all the family yet stay looking fresh and green, what do the experts at Jubilee Seeds & Turf, the UK’s leading suppliers of grass and wildflower seeds, and lawn turf, recommend?

A Perfect Family Lawn

After years of research we’ve formulated the Jubilee Family Seed Mix – a perfectly proportioned blend of grass seeds that will germinate quickly and grow with great wear tolerance. It forms a densely packed green sward with a deep root system, which allows it to recover quickly no matter how many ball games and how much heavy foot traffic it has to put up with.

This seed mix is made up of two species of grass – Creeping red fescue (festuca rubra) and Perennial Ryegrass (commonly known as PRG).

• Creeping red fescue is tough, vigorous and a persistent perennial grass species which prefers shady areas. It’s creeping growth habit allows it to form a dense sward, and its rhizomes allow it to reach out for moisture in dry conditions, so it stays green throughout the hot summer. It is an ideal species to include in a lawn blend where durability is required.
• PRG or Perennial Ryegrass is a tufted vigorous native grass that you may have noticed on roadside verges or covering waste ground. It is usually used “neat” in agriculture for grazing livestock. When blended with grasses like creeping red fescue, however, it helps to quickly establish a hard-wearing fine-leaved turf which cuts cleanly and is ideal for general purpose lawns.

Hard-Wearing Grass Mixture

Another good option for planting a lawn in a family garden is our Special Hardwearing Grass Seed Mix.

This seed blend consists of several grass species, all added for their specific properties, such as being fast-growing, having a deep root system and constant year-round lush green colour. Combined, these species allow for quick coverage by a “nurse crop” of perennial ryegrasses while the constituent hardy SSMG (smooth stalk meadow grass or Kentucky Bluegrass) takes longer to establish.

This seed blend also contains a measure of Bermuda grass which has a particularly aggressive growth rate to add to its qualities of durability, flexibility, heavy use and drought tolerance. This means it can repair itself quickly, although you may need to ensure your lawn is mowed regularly.

This seed mix results in a tough, attractive lawn, tolerant of pets and foot traffic, that is durable and drought tolerant with a deep root system – just what you need for what we call an “amenity” grass to cover a playful patch.

Grass Seed Blends for all Conditions

You can order both our recommended seed blends for family gardens here online for nationwide delivery, and browse through the other grass seed blends we have perfected to suit various conditions.

If you’re planting a family garden you might also like to give a section of it over to a wildflower meadow. This natural, wild feature will attract insects and wildlife to your garden to delight children and adults alike, and with little maintenance will give you years of pleasure.

If you require a bespoke grass seed or wildflower seed mix, we’ll be happy to help. Just contact us with any queries and for special bulk rates.