Lawn Alternatives
There is much discussion these days on eliminating grass lawns, and unless your lawn gets a lot of use for playing by kids and pets, it is something to consider.
Grass lawns are heavy consumers of water and fertilizer and often require pesticides and fungicides to keep them looking their best. They are also maintenance intensive, requiring mowing and edging many times throughout the year which produce air and noise pollution. Lawns compact the soil underneath, hindering water penetration and causing runoff, wasting water. Additionally, lawns can be detrimental for bordering trees, because lawns can get very hot and require more water that could flood and damage the roots of those trees.
For a different look in your garden and to cut down on watering, fertilizer use, and maintenance, think of converting to a no-lawn yard.
Fire resistance should be part of your alternative garden plan. You might prefer a yard that appeals to your senses of smell and sight, with its aroma, appearance, and color. A meadow vista encourages pollination with plants that attract pollinators like birds, bees, butterflies and bats. You could select native plants that have naturally evolved in your region, soil, climate and ecosystem. With their natural adaptations they are more likely to survive and thrive with only seasonal rainfall and little tending and cultivating. A sustainable garden promotes the maintenance and conservation of natural resources for ecological balance.
To achieve any of your lawn alternative goals, you will have to choose plants that will substitute for the lawn. Be knowledgeable about which plants have the best chance of thriving in your garden. The right plant must be in the right place. To achieve that, you must learn about your yard, like its sun and shade exposure, climate, natural irrigation and soil, then match plants to the details, keeping in mind the plants’ water needs, growth characteristics, maintenance requirements and root system.
Mixed annual and perennial flowers with native grasses are a beautiful substitute. If the area gets less than six hours of sun per day, select plants labeled for part sun or shade. Annual wildflowers usually need to be reseeded the first few years, but some, like Bachelor’s Buttons, Centaurea cyanus, and Cosmos, Cosmos species, self-sow and rebloom each year.
Break up the previously expansive lawn area with planting boxes or beds and small patio areas joined by paths. Fill the beds with layers of plants, keeping low growing plants along the border and graduating to taller plants in the center. Consider adding a water feature like a small pond, bird bath or fountain. Make your area a retreat by adding a bench for seating.
Think about using groundcovers for places where foot traffic is limited or discouraged. There are varieties of textures, colors and heights.
If you prefer a low-to-the-ground look, there are many choices. Sedum, Dead Nettle, Lamium species, and Creeping Thyme, Thymus serpyllum, are three. The thyme requires 70% - 80% less water than your lawn did and also produces a fragrant flower. Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile, is another aromatic plant that is a soft and dense low grower.
Dwarf Carpet of Stars, Ruschia nana, is a thick succulent groundcover, which blooms with small white and pink striped flowers in late winter to early spring. Nana suppresses weed germination and can take full sun while needing 75% less water than a lawn. Another low growing succulent is the Ice Plant Ruschia pulvinaris that has blue-green leaves and pink flowers.
Karupia is a fast-growing thick groundcover that attracts pollinators with tiny flowers. Sea thrift, Armeria maritima, Mugwort, Artemesia species, and Bearberry Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster dammeri, are groundcovers that are drought tolerant and fire resistant. Yarrow, Achillea species, Coyote brush, Baccharis pilularis, and Lamb’s-ear, Stachys byzantina, should also be on your possible plants list.
For a natural meadow, there are deer resistant grasses, such as Feather Reed Grass, Calamagrostis x acutiflora, and Blue Grama, Bouteloua gracilis, grasses. Both have dense clumps and resist the spread of fire. There is also the very durable UC Verde® Buffalo Grass, which is a native plant bred for California. It requires little water and goes dormant in a drought.
Add trees and shrubs that do not need a lot of water once established. Flourishing woody plants need to be irrigated only once or twice during the growing season. However, all plants will need more water if they are exposed to extreme heat and wind. As another alternative to lawn, look at shrubs like Ceanothus and Rockrose, Cistus species. Plumbago, Rosemary, Salvia Rosmarinus, and Spirea are other options. Also consider Western redbud, Cercis occidentalis, California flannelbush, Fremontodendron californicum, and Lavender, Lavandula species.
Keep your no-lawn landscape well mulched to preserve moisture in the soil. This approach promotes sustainable gardening practices that reduce the use of water, fertilizer and pesticides.
This article by UC Master Gardener of El Dorado County Kit Smith first appeared in the Mountain Democrat in May 2026.
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