What are the Alternatives to a Grass Lawn?

Maintaining a lawn can be a challenge and in some cases a money pit. Once you go down the rabbit hole of lawn maintenance you realize there is always something more and better you could buy or do. Personally, I like grass as it is versatile, durable, aesthetically pleasing to me and it helps take CO2 out of atmosphere. But what if you want something that is easier to maintain or maybe you don’t have enough time to maintain a lawn or what if you want an environment that would benefit bees or hummingbirds more than a bed accompanying a lawn; maybe you have water restrictions and want alternatives. Whatever the reason, here are some realistic alternatives to think about.

Clover

As well as bringing you good luck clover is a serious alternative to a grass lawn. Clover fixes nitrogen from the air and therefore doesn’t need to be fertilized! Winner there….no money spent on bags of bulky fertilizer. Clover grows to a mature height of about 3 inches, is very drought tolerant and can handle growing in sun or shade and ultimately is very low maintenance. Seems like a quadruple whammy here!! But not only that, it is a great source of nectar for bees. Maybe you could do both, have honeybees that source from your crimson clover lawn. Not a bad idea at all! Then you could have your clover pay you!

Fake Grass

This really only works if you have a ton of money to do a large area or you reduce the square footage of the area and create smaller pockets of lawn. Artificial grass is so much better than even 5 years ago. The look texture, feel and weight are very similar to a lawn, with some varieties giving you the brown tip look. From a distance it’s very hard to tell any difference between real and not but obviously up close its evident.

Creating a fake lawn area with some adjacent bedding, hard or softscape does look nice. The additional advantage too is not needing a mower or the space to store one; or irrigate, fertilize and edge. You might though need to keep up with weed removal as weeds always find a way. You will need to do periodic maintenance to it though, like brushing applying topdressing and blowing debris to keep it clean. So, it’s not without maintenance, just less and a different kind.

Pool

I bet you’ve never came across this recommendation before! Why not! Maybe don’t do a pool in the front and back of your house because that would significantly increase labor hours and heating costs. Just do one side and plant shrubbery adjecnet with some planters scattered about.

The plus side to a pool is that you don’t need to mow it……you may need to water it once in a while, just not with a sprinkler. If you live in a climate where this may be possible, and you are in your forever home this should be a thought.

Hardscape

As it sounds this would be to create semi-permanent landscape of inanimate objects with small shrubbery and annual beds bordering. The initial cost of this can be high but if you are like me and DIY it, you could keep the cost down. Done right this can be a great outdoor modern space that is suited to all the family. Maintenance is really low once completed, leaving you many hours to relax on it and figure out if you should have built a pool! In areas where precipitation is infrequent, mulch, gravel, succulents and cactus can be mixed together to form a stunning landscape. The benefit of cacti are they are CAM plants and only respire at night.

Softscape

Obviously, this is the opposite of a hardscape and is a landscape full of living things. Now to be more specific in this scenario I am not including any grass lawn, just large areas filled with shrubs, vines, ornamental hedges, perennials and seasonal annuals. This kind of landscape requires a high level of plant knowledge and regular maintenance. Softscapes allow you to be very creative and your journey landscaping in this scenario never ends. Figuring out how to grow a Dahlia from a tuber is an exciting process. Learning about symbiotic planting is a wonder and still amazes me to this day. There are many journeys with a true softscape, and all are very rewarding once achieved. Additionally, softscapes are extremely beneficial to bees, insects and birds not to mention other forms of wildlife.