Ponte Verdra Inn & Club, has always been a beautiful resort in North East Florida. On a cool, breezy day in March it absolutely sparkled. In particular, the dark green, finely textured grass in the front of the inn caught my eye. It was smooth as a carpet and as finely textured as any lawn I’d ever seen. I soon recognized it as Tiftgrand turf. This is a semi dwarf naturally dark green dense turf grass with an upright blade that was developed by the renowned turf grass team at the University of Georgia. Because it is genetically dark green and drought tolerant, it requires significantly less fertilizer and water than many other turf types. Growers such as North Georgia Turf, www.ngturf.com, tell me Tiftgrand is somewhat shade tolerant needing only 5 hours of full sun per day.
I have always been a fan of zoysia turf, especially Zeon Zoysia, but this Tiftgrand has really got me thinking of our next lawn grass installation and the possibilities for a Ponte Vedra Inn like lawn.