A well-kept green lawn gives a garden a fresh feel, doesn’t it? Many gardeners love and care for their lawns. However, this can be difficult and time-consuming. It costs money and takes time. A lot of water is also needed for lawn irrigation. And when it gets hot and dry in the summer, you really have trouble with water consumption. What to do? You can consider a drought replacement lawn and still enjoy green and lush areas by using appropriate hard-wearing alternatives to turf and choosing drought-resistant plants. What are the possibilities, read on, because we show the most popular options!
Drought tolerant ground cover as a lawn substitute
Ground covers do not need to be mowed. They spread out on the ground but don’t grow tall and are the perfect alternative to lawns. Therefore, you can choose low-maintenance plants that spread quickly, suppress weeds, and look beautiful. Here we show you some alternatives to lawn. There are a variety of options.
In hot, dry climates, consider planting fast-growing, drought-tolerant plants like lantana or sedum. They need little water once established and no water during the fall and winter months.
When choosing an ornamental lawn alternative, be sure to choose a variety that’s appropriate for your area—a cool-year grass for northern regions and a warm-year grass for southern climates. Native grasses are always a good choice as they have already adapted to your climate and generally require the least amount of maintenance.
Do you have a shady area in the garden? No problem. You can use woodruff and lily of the valley as a lawn substitute for shady locations, because they thrive well in shady gardens, where they grow into dense canopies of leaves and flowers. Best of all, shade-loving groundcovers have low moisture requirements, so they can significantly reduce water usage. We show other alternatives to lawns in dry conditions below.
Corsican mint is drought tolerant
You may have heard that mint spreads like crazy – but Corsican mint is known as a good-natured creeper. It’s a popular choice for lawns that don’t need mowing. This fragrant garden herb smells nice and also makes an excellent alternative to flowering grasses. The small, rounded green leaves provide a lush backdrop for the tiny purple flowers. Corsican mint (Mentha requienii) grows tightly together, forming a smooth surface resembling a traditional lawn. It is drought tolerant and thrives without fertilization.
Use creeping thyme as a lawn substitute
Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) makes an excellent lawn substitute. It requires less water, is generally hardy and drought tolerant, and will spread easily to fill most of the area you want. It is a fragrant herb that attracts pollinators. If you want to transform your garden into a colorful carpet in late spring, grow creeping thyme. The plant likes full to partial sun and well-drained, sandy or rocky, nutrient-poor soil. Expect moderate accessibility.
Evergreen moss thrives in shady locations
An advantage of moss is that it stays green all year round and thrives in the shade. Moss is not picky about soil quality. It is a low-maintenance alternative to lawns that does not require much work and effort once planted. Moss as a lawn substitute does not need to be mowed, weeded, watered or fertilized.
Some cultivars spread into a dense, flat carpet and offer a variety of green tones, from golden, pale green shades to beautiful, deep emerald green hues. As moss is short, less than 10 cm, it does not need mowing. This not only saves time, but is also more sustainable – no consumption of fossil fuels and no air and noise pollution from a lawnmower. Moss can also grow in poor soil, so no fertilizer is needed to keep it healthy.
Carpet Verbena is a robust lawn substitute
Carpet Verbena (Phyla nodiflora) is often grown as ground cover and is often found in gardens or on disturbed areas. The inflorescence consists of a purple center surrounded by small white-pink flowers. The plant is suitable as a lawn replacement or for pots. It is a robust and fast-growing plant. In addition, carpet verbena as a lawn substitute is hard-wearing, evergreen and easy to care for and only grows to a height of approx. 3 to 4 cm. What could be better than a walkable, low-maintenance lawn replacement? Opt for this delicate plant and you will be satisfied.
Micro clover is a low-maintenance alternative to lawns
The micro clover is an inexpensive, little mown plant. Clover as a lawn substitute is a good option because it provides an environmentally friendly solution for lawns that struggle with drought. Although clover is drought tolerant, it does not tolerate too much dry heat. You do not have to fertilize or aerate a Klee lawn, which significantly reduces maintenance costs. Clover belongs to the legume family, which fixes nitrogen and produces nitrogen itself, so no additional fertilizer is needed to keep your lawn green.