Photo Credit: Courtesy of Roberston Landscaping Colorado Springs, Co
Kentucky is famous for a few things--among them its bluegrass lawns. What you may not know is that while bluegrass is native to practically all of Europe, northern Asia and the mountains of Algeria and Morocco, it is not native to North America. Apparently, early colonists to North Carolina, Tennessee and, of course, Kentucky brought grass seed in mixtures with other grasses that later became known as Kentucky bluegrass.
Bluegrass is unique because it can be lush, growing from 18 to 24 inches, and, at least during the spring and summer, the shoots are very upright. To grow to these heights, bluegrass also demands a tremendous amount of water, which is becoming a problem.
Today, in many areas of Kentucky, commercial and residential property owners have been literally yanking out the prized bluegrass lawns and replacing them with more native turf, as well as poppies and bellflowers.