Moss has the useful advantage of remaining green all year long, it thrives in shade and it grows well in virtually any soil. Providing a soft carpet, moss is a low maintenance option if you're looking for alternatives to grass lawns that don't take much upkeep after planting. For pathways, use one of the mentioned low-maintenance ground covers such as moss, gravel, synthetic grass or mulch. We'll show you how to build a low-maintenance water feature in your backyard. Moss remains green all year long, thrives in the shade and grows well in virtually any soil. Providing a soft carpet, moss is a low maintenance option if you're looking for alternatives to grass lawns that don't take much work or effort after planting.
It requires no mowing, weeding, watering, fertilization or pest prevention – simply sit back and watch it grow. Mulch comes in a variety of materials, which allows for creative landscape designs using different textures and colors. If the yard is being landscaped with features such as flower or rock gardens, mulch is ideal for creating pathways throughout the yard. The types of mulch include wood chips, shredded bark, sawdust, pine needles and straw mulch. Another alternative material is rubber mulch made with recycled tires.
The evolution of the front yard garden… or half of it at least. Then we cut holes in the fabric where each larger shrub was planted. Some of the shallow ground cover like creeping thyme and oregano grows well in the 6″ of soil and compost that is on top of the fabric, not needing holes cut. Some weeds still sprout in the gravel, but they're very easy to pull by hand. I am stoked to see you here, interested in learning how to remove grass.
When we first bought our modest .19 acre soon-to-be homestead, nearly every outdoor space was covered in grass. Our "lawns" were nothing but a hot mess of both weedy crabgrass AND bermudagrass. So over the years we slowly removed, smothered, or otherwise killed every bit of grass on our property to grow more useful plants in its place. The front and back yards are now littered with raised garden beds, pollinator-friendly perennials, fruit trees, edible shrubs, herbs, and more.
Several varieties of yarrow can be used as a dense, traffic-tolerant lawn alternative. Dwarf yarrows are often the best choice for those who want something that looks and acts more like a traditional lawn. Flowering varieties are also a popular choice, since they add more color to your yard.
While yarrow is not drought tolerant, it only requires about half of the water needed to keep a natural grass lawn healthy, so it is a water-saving lawn replacement. To create a lawn that can withstand a lot of traffic, mow your yarrow regularly for a denser ground cover. Oregano is another herb ground cover option that can be used to replace a natural grass lawn. This attractive choice brings a delightful fragrance to your yard and can handle light-to-moderate foot traffic, depending on the variety you choose.
Creeping oregano is a fast grower that only gets about three inches tall, which makes it among the best choices of oregano varieties to use as living ground covers. Alternatively, you can always plant a separate crop in a container or in your herb garden for household use. Now let's talk about grass alternatives for ground cover, including materials to put below raised garden beds, in pathways, or other planting spaces. These ground cover options can be used both in spaces where grass has been removed, over other open soil spaces, or directly on top of grass or weeds to smother them. Utilizing crushed stones or garden rocks is one of the easiest cheap backyard landscaping ideas you can find.
You can always plant evergreen bushes or trees, accompanied by blooming varieties of plants that require little maintenance, such as different varieties of magnolia trees. Keep in mind, that the best trees you can choose, are those which grow locally . Trees that are native to the area, or the ones appropriate for our specific climate . The team at Natural Image can help you choose plants that are perfect for our environment. Creeping thymes are low-maintenance ground cover plants that can even be harvested for culinary or medicinal purposes, depending on the variety you choose. It can be used in light traffic areas or around stepping stones, which allows its fragrance and tiny flowers to add character to walkways.
Be sure you choose a variety of thyme that is appropriate for the size of the area you need to cover, since there are both slow- and fast-growing varieties. If you plan to harvest it for culinary or medicinal purposes, it is best to use this lawn alternative away from areas that are used for parking, walking or pet restroom areas. Island flowerbeds are good choices for people who either want to reduce their lawn size or replace their grass completely. For reducing lawn size, this type of flowerbed allows you to remove as much or as little as you want of your natural grass lawn. That area can then be planted with low-water, low-maintenance plants that add texture and color to your yard. To replace your lawn completely, you can pair and island flowerbed with another of the options on this list, such as artificial grass, mulch or gravel.
An herb garden is an attractive lawn alternative that adds color and texture to your landscaping. Herbs can be planted in borders, raised garden beds or in the ground with meandering pathways that lead through your garden. Would the added height make everything spill over the edges? If your grass that abuts a patio, driveway, pathways, or other hardscaping that is already at an equal height as the grass, adding material on top may not work well. By removing our grass, we created a nice 4 to 6-inch deep void within the borders of our yard, perfect for filling back in with gravel, fresh soil, compost, and plants.
Have you thought about whether you want to build raised garden beds, or plant directly in the ground? Clearly, if you want to create in-ground garden beds, you'll need to remove the grass in that space. While an established native or new landscape can be beautiful and eventually save you time and money, it's not easy. Spreading the job out over a few years can save your budget and your back.
It may take a few years to really rid your property of turf and to establish your new plants. You will always need to weed your gardens, prune trees and shrubs, divide crowded plantings, and move or remove overgrown plants. Rock gardens can be a beautiful alternative to a grass backyard. You can design your entire backyard with rock gardens, or include them just in specific areas. When building a rock garden, the possibilities are truly endless. You can use different sizes, colors, and shapes of rocks, to create a truly unique outdoor area.
Rock gardens can be combined with low maintenance plants and bushes. You can also choose not to include any plants in the rock garden itself for a very low-maintenance option. Clover is a great choice for people who want the look of a natural grass lawn, don't mind a bit of mowing and are not concerned about a lot of traffic.
This pretty ground cover requires little water and stays green all summer without the need for chemical fertilizers. It is an inexpensive option that looks great and can stand up to some traffic. If you are replacing your lawn to save money on your water bill and lower your home's environmental impact, then you really cannot go wrong with xeriscaping. This type of low-water landscaping is popular in Southern California and can be seen throughout the Southwestern United States.
Moss as a ground cover is the perfect solution for shady lawns as well as lawns with poor soil. The two key ingredients for growing moss are moisture, a two-minute watering daily, and daylight, but not direct sun. For yards that are heavily shaded, moss is both practical—needs no mowing—and provides aesthetic value. Moss does not produce flowers, seeds or establish true roots. It is a cover-like mat of stems and leaves, which absorbs nutrients and water. Moss grows very well with other perennials that thrive in the shade such as hostas, trilliums and ferns.
A lot of ground covering plants and flowers will take care of themselves, providing you have decent quality soil. The silvery-green foliage of this drought-tolerant ground cover can seriously enhance the visual appeal of your lawn area. Fast growing and low to the ground, silver ponyfoot can thrive in part shade or full sun, which makes it a versatile option for Southern California gardens.
It can be grown around stepping stones in a walkway or allowed to spread to fill in an entire lawn area. This one is not a thug, so you can also intersperse it with other low-water ground covers to replace grass. Once you remove your lawn and choose the play structures to install, you can use mulch or artificial grass as a ground cover beneath the play equipment. Using wood chips or bark is a great way to cover ground with a low-maintenance material that is attractive and easy to care for. This affordable option is available at garden and home centers, and can easily be used as a lawn alternative. You may also be able to find free or low-cost wood chips in your area by contacting local tree trimming and removal services or through local programs.
For example, San Diego residents can purchase natural wood chips for $24 per cubic yard at Miramar Greenery. We install high-quality weed barrier fabric below all of our deep raised garden beds, along with hardware cloth to block the gophers. The fabric extends out beyond the outer edges of the beds to prevent creeping weeds from getting back in. Yet I don't suggest using landscape fabric below shallow raised beds (less than 12" deep). That is, unless the space was intensely weedy and it is necessary. Because the fabric will block and prevent roots from traveling deeper into the soil below.
Many plants prefer more than 12" of soil to grow big and healthy. When we first added raised garden beds to our front yard, we only removed the grass directly below the beds. We added hardware cloth below the beds to stop gophers, but that was all. The creeping crabgrass and weeds were attracted to the moisture in the raised beds and infested them within one season. Also, we turned the sprinkler heads away from the area because they were spraying the beds and plants so the grass died back and looked really awful.
We later came back to remove all the grass in this area and add weed block landscape fabric, including under the raised beds. Yes, that means we had to dig out all the soil, lift them, put fabric down, and it all back again. Beauty of lawns and gardens with less work and lower water bills.
Having a beautiful landscape brings us much joy, but the financial and environmental costs of watering landscapes can be hefty and maintenance can be tedious. What kid doesn't like chasing after butterflies in their own backyard? This ground cover can tolerate drought and flooding and works well in warm temperate regions, plus it is hearty enough for the wear and tear of child's play.
Connect different parts of your outdoor living space with this DIY backyard transformation idea! Put down materials like mulch, bricks, or stones to create a clear path from your house to the pool or playhouse in your backyard. You can also include a little flair to your pathway by adding yard decorations like glow-in-the-dark rocks or garden stakes. The advantage of using flower and shrub beds as the main covering instead of grass is the opportunity to add a variety of textures and colors.
How To Fix Your Garden Grass This combination adds a touch of interest and beauty to the landscape while reducing soil erosion and the amount of time needed for maintaining a grassy lawn. Generally, the types of plants used range in various heights of around 1 ft., or less. Taller flowers and shrubs can be used, as well, as a backdrop to the shorter plants.
Flower beds, built-in planters and alongside sidewalks are a few suggestions when laying out a landscaping plan. For pathways throughout the yard, use one of the suggestions in this slideshow such as mulch, rocks or gravel to cover the area. There are a lot of plants and trees, that require the minimum maintenance and can keep your backyard looking green without having grass to mow and maintain.
The team at Prosperity Lawn & Landscape can help you choose plants that are perfect for our environment. If you have a larger outdoor space to contend with, you may not want to cover it all in gravel or stone. Think instead about creating a low-maintenance "meadow" of native plants that requires little water or upkeep. A local landscaping pro or a staffer at a good garden center should be able to guide you in choosing plants that will do well in your area.
This is also a good option for sloped yards, where hardscaping would be more difficult. Losing your lawn allows you to make the most of every square inch of space you have. For example, in this small urban backyard, tightly fitted flagstone pieces interspersed with squares of river rock and low-growing plants create a natural, easy-care environment. A deck made from composite materials anchors the opposite end of the yard. Sheared evergreens, lush bamboo, and small trees add greenery to the space while also providing shade and additional privacy.
The biggest downside is that most ornamental grasses are only for looks, so this lawn alternative will not work in areas where you actually want to use your lawn. Check out mondo grass for low-growing varieties if you are looking for a shorter grass that will look a bit more like a conventional lawn but without the regular mowing requirements. If you have narrow strips of natural grass bordering walkways, you can replace the grass with rosemary hedges. This will enhance the visual appeal of your yard, add lovely color and fragrance, and allow you to enjoy drought-tolerant greenery along your garden paths. You can also replace a larger lawn area with a maze or labyrinth made from rosemary hedges.
This whimsical addition will give your yard an old-world touch and take up plenty of space with an attractive, low-water, living grass lawn alternative. Replacing your natural grass lawn with a family orchard transforms your lawn area into a functional, food-producing space you can enjoy with your family for years to come. To limit weed growth and make it as low-maintenance as possible, install a drip system and cover the bare earth between trees with mulch, gravel, wood chips or bark. Replacing a natural grass lawn with a wood or composite deck is an ideal way to increase your functional outdoor living space and lower your property's irrigation needs. This option is particularly well suited for families who enjoy spending a lot of time outdoors or who entertain regularly. For some, a rainbow of blooms is a crowning achievement in the garden, but for others, simplicity is perfection.
If no-nonsense greenery is your idea of great design, then replace the lawn with a low-growing perennial like creeping Jenny or thyme. Like grass, these ground covers can stand up to foot traffic but with the added advantage of being mow-free. Many people also use cardboard or thick paper to line the bottom of their raised garden beds! This is what we did when we created our raised stone-wall pollinator island.
It wasn't weedy enough to require landscape fabric, though there were some leftover grass roots we wanted to smother. Because the cardboard will degrade with time, we knew the roots wouldn't be permanently restricted as they would be with landscape fabric. Adding a dry creek bed to your front yard landscaping is a DIY project most of us can do ourselves. Using rock and stone to create this grass alternative requires no water usage for the dry creek itself, and very little watering of plants used to enhance it. You can read our post to find out all about DIY Dry Creek Beds.
