Zoysia matrella such as Zeon or Zorro would have better shade tolerance over japonica from my research.

 

Zoysia.

Aside from its ability to grow in shade, St. Augustine is a major headache.

 

TifTuf is Bermuda and will not grow in the shade.

I have some family in DFW and they ALL have St. Augustine

 

I like my zorro zoysia here in north Texas for maybe a few months out of the year. I dunno if it was my prep work or if it just doesn't do well in arid conditions. It does great in the shade although that area still gets about 6-7 hrs of sun. I have to use a TON of wetting agents and irrigation to keep it looking good. If I could go back I would do Bermuda, had I stuck with zoysia I wish I had gone emerald or palisades.

i have st Augustine in front, it does great in the shade and very low maintenance compared to the zorro. I sodded about 100 sq ft of cobolt as a test plot and so far really happy with it. Would prefer and wait until next year since it's only been a couple of months now.