Well-maintained grass lawns make for beautiful landscaping, but they also come with a cost. Not only do grass lawns take up lots of time, money, and energy to mow, but they require huge amounts of water and fertilizer to keep bright and green. This can lead to both water waste and fertilizer runoff, which has the potential to harm the surrounding environment.
Thankfully, if you want to reduce your environmental impact and spend less time maintaining your yard, there are plenty of lawn options aside from grass to choose from. Below, we’ve compiled a list of more eco-friendly landscaping ideas along with visuals from Angi.
Ground Cover Ideas
Ground cover plants grow low to the ground and spread out to blanket a space. With a little time and patience, you can cover either your entire yard or a portion of your lawn with ground covers.
The best part is that ground cover plants require no mowing; some occasional trimming can keep them in check if desired, but they require far less upkeep than grass.
Some great ground cover options include:
● Creeping jenny: This evergreen perennial has little vine-like stems that look beautiful when winding around garden paths.
● Sweet woodruff: With tiny, white, star-shaped flowers, this plant makes for a lovely stretch of lawn
● Corsican mint: This green plant blooms early in summer and gives off a pleasant, minty aroma. It’s also edible!
For more unique ground cover ideas, see the visual below
Native Plant Ideas
Native plants are the perfect solution to reducing the size of a grass lawn. Flowers, ornamental grasses, and shrubs that are native to your region make beautiful, aesthetically pleasing gardens. Not only do they require no mowing and less water than grass, but since they are adapted to the soil of your region, they don’t need much fertilizer. Native plants also attract friendly pollinators such as birds, bees, and butterflies. Therefore, cultivating these plants in your yard can help support local wildlife.
Some flower options are:
● Native perennials: Colorful perennial flowers look great in a raised garden bed or around trees.
● Shrub beds: Planting native shrubs is an ideal way to add some needed texture into your landscape.
● Roman chamomile: This flowering plant enriches the surrounding soil with valuable nitrogen.
For more native plant ideas, see below:
Non-Plant Ideas
Non-plant options require the least amount of maintenance and can often lend way to beautiful landscaping designs. Of course, they don’t need any water, and only require yearly top-offs or replacements to maintain. With strategic planning and creativity, you can replace your entire lawn or create a sectioned-off area with one of the sustainable materials below.
● Sand: Sand is the perfect, inexpensive ground covering for a fire pit area, a garden path, or a rock garden.
● Recycled mulch: A mulch bed made of compost is a great sustainable option for your grass replacement.
● Gravel: Long-lasting stones or pebbles can add interesting accent areas to your yard.
Below are several inspirational landscaping ideas using non-living alternatives to grass
By committing to one or several of these lawn alternatives, you can save time and money on lawn maintenance while also designing a truly unique outdoor look for your home. If you aren’t quite sure where to start, it’s best to contact a landscaping professional in your area to help you create and implement the design you’re dreaming of.
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