Rough bluegrass can stay green through the winter in milder weather. This grass specie is a lower maintenance grass than the Kentucky bluegrass and is often grown for this reason alone. In the northern climates this species is considered a perennial and is grown as a permanent lawn cover. In the warmer climates it is used as an annual cover for the wintertime and in overseeding the permanent warm grass lawns for winter while in their dormancy state. One of the better features of rough bluegrass is the adaptation for shadier areas where Kentucky will not grow as successfully.
Rough bluegrass has better cold hardiness than Kentucky bluegrass growing farther north into Canada.
This specie variety can be slightly more drought tolerant and will grow on less fertile soils than the Kentucky bluegrass. As with all the bluegrass varieties the natural preference is for wetter conditions. Canada Bluegrass is the most cold hardy of the three species. Natural genetic adaptations have enabled this grass specie to develop a more compact, creeping growth habit to withstand the severe temperatures and stress of growing in the far north. Canada Bluegrass is often grown in poorer soils and in hard to access areas making this species ideal for erosion control, conservation areas, parks and any location where low maintenance is a requirement and necessity.