18

Easy Grass Alternatives

for Your Lawn

Drought-tolerant options include buffalo grass, Bermuda grass, bahiagrass, and blue grama.

1. Native Turf Grasses

Veronica, or Speedwell, is a diverse, sturdy, and evergreen ground cover option for homeowners seeking grass replacement.

2. Veronica

Gravel mulch is effective around plants that love heat and can tolerate low water.

3. Gravel

You will likely save water on growing vegetables by filling the raised beds with soil that’s more suited to the plants than local soils offer.

4. Raised Edible Gardens

Amazingly, bugleweed can grow in spots with full sun, but it actually performs better in shade.

5. Bugleweed

Organic mulches like cedar or pine bark chips can replace grass quite easily for a rustic ground cover.

6. Mulch

Although culinary herbs might require some pruning or control, clipping stalks to use in dishes or mint juleps can make it all worthwhile.

7. Culinary Herbs

Stamped concrete, patio pavers, or natural stone can create a stunning and functional space.

8. Hardscaping

If no-nonsense greenery is your idea of great design, replace the lawn with a low-growing perennial like creeping thyme.

9. Creeping Thyme

The rugged simplicity of the rocks will contrast nicely with the vibrant blooms, creating a one-of-a-kind backyard feature.

10. Rock Garden

A few examples of ground covers that tolerate some foot traffic are Shamrock Clover (Trifolium) and dwarf Mondo grass (also called monkey grass).

11. Walk-on Plants

Put some patio furniture together and make a second living room, build a dedicated fire pit, or install an outdoor kitchen.

12. An Outdoor Living Space

Irish moss (Sagina subulata) grows rapidly to form a dense, low mat of green foliage along the ground.

13. Moss-like Spreaders

When done right, a water feature can attract birds and other wildlife to the yard.

14. A Water Feature

Most are drought-tolerant, many are native, and they provide winter interest as their stems fade but “flowers” (seed stalks) remain to blow in the wind and feed birds as temperatures drop.

15. Ornamental Grasses

One of the drawbacks of removing a lawn is that it also takes away cooling effects on the yard. Offset it with a vertical oasis of trees, which also offer privacy, shade, wind breaks, and even air purification.

16. Appropriate Shade Trees

Try taking out a partial section of lawn, like the areas along fences or paths that are more difficult to mow, or along property lines and seed it with wildflowers.

17. Native Wildflower Meadow

A container garden is a good alternative to a lawn in areas where conditions change as summer progresses.

18. Container Garden

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