Grass Recommendations – Boggy Area Near A Creek

Q: We recently moved into a house that backs up to a creek. It rarely floods but stays boggy in the area that I’m hoping to beautify. I’d like to use some type of grass; would buffalo grass work? 

A: In a boggy area such as the one you describe, basket grass is what you might first see and then worry about. It is terribly invasive and quickly spreads by seed. It’s moderately attractive when mowed in the summertime but it turns brown in winter. Buffalo grass is a native grass but it rarely succeeds in Georgia. If you insist on grass it might be best to resign yourself to a yearly (or more often) over-seeding using 8 pounds of fescue seed per 1000 square feet.