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Backyards in Melbourne’s tightly-packed suburbs and lawns in tree-filled parks often struggle to get enough sun for grass to grow properly. But is there a grass that will grow in full shade? Depends on how you take care of it. We can help.
Understanding the light needs of shade-tolerant grass
Even the most shade-tolerant grasses still need some sunlight to thrive. Our Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo and TifTuf Bermuda are both excellent options for shady Melboune suburbs: they require 4-6 hours of direct sunlight per day to stay healthy and green. You might consider Eureka Premium VG Kikuyu, but keep in mind it needs a bit more sun — around 6-8 hours daily — to maintain its lush appearance.
The key to growing grass in shaded areas is striking the right balance between sunlight and care. By choosing the right turf and providing proper maintenance, you can enjoy a vibrant lawn whether you live in Melbourne’s crowded inner suburbs or Victoria’s canopy-shaded valleys.
Chat to our instant lawn specialists
The three best grasses for full-shade lawns
Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo and TifTuf Bermuda are our most shade-tolerant turfs, needing only 5-6 hours of sunlight a day.
Buy Genuine Sir Walter Buffalo Turf in Melbourne, ideal for Victorian Conditions
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Shade
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Wear Tolerance
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Maintenance
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Drought Tolerance
TifTuf Bermuda in Melbourne — TifTuf is resistant to high-traffic use, rapidly repairs itself and is easy to maintain year-round.
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Shade
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Wear Tolerance
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Maintenance
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Drought Tolerance
Developed specifically for the Victorian climate, our Eureka Premium turf is an excellent choice for any medium or high-traffic lawn areas.
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Frost
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Shade
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Wet Soil
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Wear Tolerance
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Maintenance
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Nutrient Requirement
Is there such a thing as full-shade grass?
If this page is about full-shade grasses, why did we recommend three grasses that need sunlight? Because there’s no such thing as genuinely full-shade grass. All grass types require at least a few hours of direct (or even dappled) sunlight to photosynthesise.
The Buffalo, Bermuda and Kikuyu grasses we’ve recommended are extremely hardy and need significantly less sunlight per day than most other cultivars. But they do need some. Still, they’re excellent choices if you want to grow a lawn in a sun-deprived area or if you’re worried about your lawns surviving under consistent cloud cover and in winter.
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Grown in Victoria
We grow and harvest our turf ourselves across four estates across Victoria.
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Grown for Victoria
We supply over one million square metres of premium turf annually to Victorian homes and businesses.
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Specialised harvesting techniques
Our unique turf harvesting technique gives you thick-cut, mature-root slabs of healthy instant lawn turf.
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Complimentary starter kit
To help your lawn establish in full shade, we’ll send over a free order of premium lawn fertiliser.
How to grow grass in full shade areas
Growing grass in full-shade conditions isn’t easy —it’s impossible in most cases, since most grass cultivars need at least a few hours of direct sunlight per day. But impossible in most cases doesn’t mean its impossible in all. The first thing you need to do is determine whether the full-shade area you have in mind receives enough indirect sunlight to support flora. Consider the following points.
- Is there any grass growing in the area currently? Even rough patches of it?
- Do weeds grow in the area?
- Is there moss growing in the area?
If there are signs of floral life, then it’s possible that the area gets enough sunlight to support grass. To give your grass the best chance at surviving, we strongly recommend you choose mature instant turf that already has a strong root system. Once installed, don’t overwater it (moisture won’t evaporate as fast in the shade) and only mow it every 4-6 weeks, and never cut more than a third of the blade length when you do. Longer leaves will let it photosynthesise as much sun as possible while it establishes.
Hear from our customers
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Rob Eustace
Eustace Landscaping use Lilydale instant lawn they provide us with a great variety and quality lawn every time. Delivering to everywhere in Gippsland.
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Phil Howell
Their turf looks great, service is top notch, you have a question they are happy to help. My Sir Walter is the best turf I have had, I recommended it to a few people
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Tony Williams
Great customer service. Prompt delivery even in the pouring rain. Had to lay in awful conditions but it is coming up a treat and finishes my garden perfectly!
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Marcus Kikidopoulos
Lilydale Instant Lawn is some of the best professional's to deal with, fast reliable and great people. Along with this some of the best product around!
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Gabs New
Highly recommend this company. Fantastic product, the staff are helpful and knowledgeable about all things turf, happy to guide you through the process.
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Adrian Marcy
Lovely turf and highly recommend. They have grouse product of grass, great public service with all the staff are respectful and nice - 10/10
