Question
We have two recommendations for replacing two relatively small areas of lawn
with native grasses:  Bouteloua gracilis or Festuca rubra.  We live at 2100 feet
above Half Moon Bay, CA in a redwood forest.  However, the lawn area is a
southern exposure with heat and sun with some shade from trees.  Two
questions:

1.  can we plant without removing the existing lawn?

2.  would the "eyelash grass" do OK if it does not get a full 8 hours of sun/
day?

Thanks for your help.  

Answer
Hey, Jan.

You should be able to plant both blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and red fescue (Festuca rubra) without removing the existing lawn. Both are clumping grasses as opposed to what most people consider a "lawn." In some areas of the country both can be considered invasive weeds since they self-seed. Of course, that's the reason why you can plant them without removing the existing lawn. Blue grama is probably slower to establish than red fescue.

The eyelash seed heads on the blue grama might not be quite as eyecatching without full sun. For best effect, I definitely would not plant it in shade; give it as much sun there in Half Moon Bay as you can. It doesn't require a lot of water and can do quite well in both sandy soils and clay soils. For a "turf-type lawn," plant the plugs about four inches apart; that will allow you to mow it to create a nice lawn effect.

Bouteloua gracilis 'Hachita' is probably the best.

Red fescue is probably better for the shady areas since it is one of the most shade resistant lawn grasses. In some areas of the country, it is a cool-season grass used in cool, shaded, mountain sites. Generally, it does not do well in hot climates, except in shady, dry situations. It has a high tolerance for cold temperatures and shade, moderate tolerance for drought and wear, and low tolerance for heat.

So before deciding, you might take a day off and actually measure how much sun you get in the area where you want to plant. Also try to determine how much water the area will get. I don't think you'll need any sort of irrigation system. I think both should do well on the amount of rainfall that you get there in Half Moon Bay.

Hope I've helped you.