Heirloom St. Augustine Grass In Georgia

Q: For forty-five years I have grown at my homes near San Francisco the original St. Augustine grass my grandfather brought from Louisiana. I nurtured them to full lush carpets in both places. Would it be successful to get some of that grass and grow it here? 

A: My own lawn grew from St. Augustine grass sprigs I collected from an older home in Candler Park. My theory was that if the St Augustine grass had survived there for fifty years, it was cold hardy enough for my home in Decatur.

There is much variation in the cold tolerance of different varieties of St. Augustine grass. It is certainly worth a try to plant the grass from California but don’t put a lot of effort into it until it’s been through a couple of Atlanta winters.