Zoysia Grass

The half of the zoysia family that survives a real winter — and the only half you can buy as seed.

Best For: Transition-zone and southern lawns with 6 to 8 hours of direct sun, mowed with an ordinary rotary at 1 to 2.5 inches. It is the zoysia for a Zone 6 or 7 yard where surviving February, not looking manicured, is what decides whether the lawn is still there in May.

Tradeoff: A 2–4 mm blade you can see is coarse, and it thins out fast under trees.

The needle-fine zoysia that holds density under trees and takes salt — the best-looking lawn in the family, and the least winter-hardy.

Best For: Zone 7b and south, especially coastal lots with salt spray or brackish irrigation, and yards with real tree shade where a coarse zoysia goes thin. It suits someone who wants a manicured surface and will mow low and often to keep it.

Tradeoff: Loses over 88% to winterkill in Zone 6, and the look only holds with a reel mower.

Fine-textured zoysia bred to survive a transition-zone winter — the bridge between the family's two halves.

Best For: Upper-transition-zone yards, roughly Zone 6 through 7, where the homeowner wants a fine, dense lawn but the winter would take out a matrella. It is the answer for someone who found Meyer too coarse and Zeon too tender.

Tradeoff: Vegetative only, sold through restricted licensed grower networks — and "hybrid" on a label guarantees nothing about cold-hardiness on its own.