A resident of Hernando, Mississippi, Darren Downen has had an entrepreneurial career extending back more than three decades. One of the aspects of local life that Darren Downen takes a strong interest in is the study of all-weather grasses, such as Bermudagrass.
With outstanding drought and heat tolerance qualities, as well as an ability to accommodate heavy use, Bermudagrass was originally sourced from subtropical and tropical regions. But by the early 19th century, it had been established as one of the primary grasses in use across the American Southeast.
One limitation, compared with its warm-season companion zoysia grass, is that Bermudagrass is vulnerable to cold weather. Thus, its range is limited to Southern regions of the United States, including California. Where there is no frost, Bermudagrass stays green year round. However, in much of its US range, it becomes dormant relatively early in autumn, with that dormancy lasting longer than other warm weather grasses.
Those who maintain lawns in the South sometimes choose to over-seed cool season ryegrass over Bermudagrass, as a way of maintaining a green lawn year round. Another option is to seed a variety such as Pennington Bermudagrass, which combines cold tolerance with fine-bladed, dense, self-spreading, and self-repairing qualities.
Darren Downen 