The brave few souls that choose to call Central WA home need to be comfortable with the fact that they are amongst the most isolated people on the planet. The weather probably helps, with Central WA’s excess of sun and very mild winters combining to create excellent examples of Mediterranean and semi-arid climates.
The weather of Central WA is just as hospitable for the flora as it is for the fauna. A huge variety of warm season grasses will happily grow there, giving homeowners excellent flexibility to choose the exact lawn they desire. From Geraldton to Carnarvon, here are some of the best seed choices for your Central Western Australian lawn.
Buffalo
An Australian classic, Buffalo sets the standard for durability and low maintenance. And with the recent development of soft leaf buffalo, the major drawback of the variety – its scratchy, wide leaf blade – is now far less of an issue. While some varieties may still be irritating to the skin if you roll around in them, there are many more Buffalo options now than there have been in decades past.
For a lush, dense lawn that will cope admirably with the excess sun and minimal rain of the Central WA climate, buffalo is an excellent choice. McKays Buffalo Lawn Seed Blend is a great choice for WA regions that experience chilly winters to go with the intense summers.
Couch
With all the unfussy nature of Buffalo, but with a softer, finer, more delicate leaf, Couch is a hugely popular choice for Central WA backyards. Its resistance to wear and tear, combined with its ability to repair itself of damage, makes Couch an excellent candidate for a high traffic area like sports fields.
The flipside to this ability to quickly repair is that Couch also grows and spreads quickly – great news if you want your turf to establish itself as soon as possible, but not so great news if you don’t like mowing. Couch may also spread into flower beds and other parts of your garden if left unchecked.
It’s a grass that was almost built for the Central WA climate though, with McKays Bermuda Couch Pure, McKays Green Couch Blend, and McKays Princess 77 Couch all being terrific options for the area.
Queensland Blue Couch
While the humidity levels of Western Australia and Queensland might differ somewhat, Queensland Blue Couch is still an excellent option for Central Western Australians looking for a hardy grass that can cope with the WA heat. While all the upsides of standard Couch remain, the downfalls – regularly required mowing and invasiveness – can largely be forgotten.
As it happens, Queensland Blue Couch isn’t a Couch grass at all. Nor, funnily enough, is it actually from Queensland. It’s an entirely different variety, with blades that compare most closely to Zoysia. A green blade with a slightly blue hue will retain its colour all year round, and gives rise to the variety’s name.
Available in both a blend and its pure form, Queensland Blue is an excellent addition to any Central WA backyard.
Kikuyu
In decades past, your Central WA lawn options were essentially a race in two – Kikuyu and Buffalo. Thanks to clever breeding Kikuyu continues to develop as a grass, with its bright green leaf feeling soft underfoot while remaining one of the best looking lawns on the market.
Kikuyu is a quick grower, and can be grown in fairly average soils. Like many warm season grasses, its stolons can get invasive, and you may find yourself mowing and trimming a fair bit over its peak growing periods.
A version of sterile Kikuyu has recently been developed to avoid this unintentional spreading, so this Western Australian favourite is currently experiencing a little bit of a resurgence. Once again, McKays offers both a pure and blended option.
Zoysia
Zoysia is a great grass for the warm conditions of Central WA, as it looks terrific all year round despite going dormant in the chillier moments of winter. Its positive attributes include minimal maintenance, non-invasive, drought tolerant, and excellent repair abilities.
This low effort/high reward grass comes in both a pure version, perfect for the hotter areas of Central WA, and a blended version, better for regions that experience a cooler winter.
No matter what part of Central WA you call home, there’ll be a grass to suit your situation. If you’ve got any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact the friendly team at McKays.