LawnByCounty

Best Counties for Warm-Season Grasses

Published May 2, 2026

Warm-season grasses — Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine, Bahia, and Centipede — love heat. They green up in late spring, thrive through summer, and go dormant after the first hard frost. These grasses are the only practical choice in the Deep South, the Southwest, and coastal California.

We identified the counties best suited for warm-season grasses using USDA hardiness zones and July temperature data. Counties in zones 8a and warmer offer the sustained heat these grasses need to outcompete weeds and build dense turf.

Best Counties for Warm-Season Grasses

Monroe County, FL in zone 11b with July averages of 84.45454545454547°F is prime territory for Bermuda and Zoysia lawns.

RankCountyStateZoneJuly Avg (°F)Growing Season
1Monroe CountyFL11b84.45454545454547N/A
2Broward CountyFL11a83.575N/A
3Miami-Dade CountyFL11a83.43076923076924N/A
4Yuma CountyAZ10a93.17142857142858N/A
5Imperial CountyCA10a92.22N/A
6Hidalgo CountyTX10a86.45555555555556N/A
7Riverside CountyCA10a85.96666666666665N/A
8Cameron CountyTX10a85.28333333333335N/A
9Willacy CountyTX10a85N/A
10Nueces CountyTX10a84.65714285714286N/A
11San Bernardino CountyCA10a83.85555555555555N/A
12Charlotte CountyFL10a83.8N/A
13Pinellas CountyFL10a83.33333333333333N/A
14Okeechobee CountyFL10a83.3N/A
15Seminole CountyFL10a83.3N/A
16Polk CountyFL10a83.22N/A
17Collier CountyFL10b83.2N/A
18Orange CountyFL10a83.05N/A
19Lee CountyFL10b82.95N/A
20Palm Beach CountyFL10b82.75714285714287N/A
21Sarasota CountyFL10a82.7N/A
22Manatee CountyFL10a82.5N/A
23Osceola CountyFL10a82.5N/A
24Indian River CountyFL10a82.4N/A
25Martin CountyFL10b82.4N/A

Recommended Warm-Season Grasses

  • Bermudagrass: Aggressive, durable, and drought-tolerant. Best for high-traffic lawns in zones 7-10.
  • Zoysiagrass: Slower to establish but shade-tolerant and dense. Ideal for zones 6-9.
  • St. Augustinegrass: Broad blades, shade-tolerant, and popular in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Zones 8-10.
  • Centipedegrass: Low-maintenance and acid-soil tolerant. Perfect for the Southeast. Zones 7-10.
  • Bahiagrass: Tough, drought-resistant, and low-fertility tolerant. Common in the Deep South. Zones 7-10.

Methodology

Counties in USDA hardiness zones 8a and warmer are ranked by zone warmth and July average temperature. Data from USDA PHZM 2023 and NOAA climate normals.

Data sourced from USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (1991-2020 Climate Normals), and US Drought Monitor. All figures represent long-term averages and may differ from individual-year observations.

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