Question
My yard is all Bermuda and I live in Arkansas.  I have some shaded areas where grass doesn't grow well and I was told to throw out rye seed which i did.  It looks horrible and I want to get rid of it.  What is the best way?  Should I sod with Bermuda?  is this the time of year?

thanks

Answer
Hi Mike;
There is a variety of Burmuda that likes little shade, but I don't know what it is called.
I hate rye grass!!!!
I can't imagine anyone using that stuff for a lawn.
If that was annual rye you usd, it should not come back next spring, if it was perineal rye, then it is going to come back.
Rye is a cool season grass, so the weather getting up into the 90s should kill it out.
Can you prune out enough limbs, from the trees or shrubs that are shading the area?
Another thing might be. build a retainer wall. of bricks etc, for a decorative border, and planting a good low shade ground cover.
There are a lot of beautiful ground covers that require little to no shade. some are evergreen.
I have Asian Jasmine in my shaded area. It does well in shade, but when it gets to where it gets sun, it takes off, but you can keep it trimmed. When ours gets too wild looking, we just run over it with the lawn mower. It thinkens it up, and trims it down so it looks tidy. We only have to mow it every few years, but you can mow it more if you like.
You could stake out the area, build a barrier of stone, brick etc, and put pea gravel, or lay individual flat stones, on gravel, so that water gets to the tree roots, and turn it into a pretty seating area.In the sunny areas around the seating area, you could put flower beds etc.
Relly turn it into a little park in your yard.
You could tur the shaded areas into a fern garden, or a garden for other shade loving flowers.
There are a whole raft of flowers that love shade. I finally got enough shade to grow ferns. Some of them are evergreen, so they look that good all year.
The only way you are going to have grass,like the rest of the lawn, is to remove enough so the grass gets the shade it needs.
At Home Depot, Lowes, and nurseries, you can get books with great landscaping ideas for such areas. If would take some work in the beginning to vreate a pretty area there, but should be easy to maintain after it is established.
Charlotte