Question
I live in calif. in hot summer 105degrees. I currently have Hibrid Bermuda grass.  My shade trees have grown in and there are areas next to the patio and under the tress that the bermuda does not grow in.  Any suggestions on what short grasses that I can plant next to the bermuda, or a short grass to replace the bermuda that will grow in the shade and year around.  I do not like fescue as it has to stay tall and i have little dogs.  please help.  Someone suggested Kentucky Bluegrass but it gets deseased easily.  What is your take on perenniel ryes over the bermuda during the winter and hope that it stays in the summer under the shaded areas?

Answer
Perennial rye is an excellent choice for overseeding the lawn. I doubt it will handle a CA 105 F summer, however. For same reason do not buy Kentucky Bluegrass. Both (p.rye + kgb) are cool season grasses and gets stressed easily above 85F. In areas with hot summers like yours, these grasses are not good alternatives. For this reason, you should consider the ryegrass as a temporary winter overplanting.

I recommend plugging st. augustine grass in the shaded area. This grass type does well in shade, but not as good as bermuda in sun. Therefore, it should be possible to contain it. In sunny areas, bermuda will thrieve. In shady areas where bermuda does not grow well, the st. augustine grass will perform. Some cultivars of st. augustine are available as seed, but they are expensive. Normally plugging is done. Contact a local garden center or landscaper for prices.

Besides the very well known K31 or "kentucky31" tall fescue (a tall fescue cultivar .. has nothing to do with kentucky bluegrass) which get 4-5" tall and is very coarse, you can today buy dwarf types of tall fescue which perform equally well. Most of the newer hybrids are much softer, dwarfer, and thinner leaved. Check out the Rebel cultivars for example (rebel 1, 2, and 3). These grass types retain all the good properties of the tall fescue without it growing so tall and stiff. Just an idea.

Kenneth