A Primer on Grass Alternatives

When you’re parting the half-dead, ankle-height fescue to peer into the Joneses’ backyard, it’s important to ask yourself: Are the Joneses really worth keeping up with? While a healthy, well-maintained grass lawn is nothing to shake a stick at, we see two key reasons to consider the alternatives:

  1. Less work for you. The right grass alternative can help keep your mower in mint condition. While no-mow options may require an extra dash of planning and commitment, low-mow alternatives can be as simple as a bit of seeding, watering and waiting. Once your new lawn has grown in, it may only require a few trips to the tool shed each summer.
  2. Less work for the environment. Many grass alternatives are drought-resistant, pollinator-friendly and reasonably kind to your carbon footprint. While most standard grass lawns require gas-powered and water-intensive maintenance, native replacements require less of the traditional landscaping techniques we aim to avoid.

Clover is the name you’ll hear most often. Most varieties require little mowing, stand up to droughts and stay green all throughout the year. Certain species like Crimson and Dutch White clover are extremely attractive to bees, while others (like Red clover) offer little in the way of nectar. 

Mixed with lower-maintenance fescue varieties, clover can contribute to a simple-yet-diverse lawnscape—one that requires little in the way of mowing or edging. It’s also hardy against foot traffic, in the same way mosses, Creeping Thyme and Corsican Mint can all handle the pitter patter.

With one rare exception, however, clover isn’t native to the Carolinas. If you’re as interested in native gardening as we are, take a look through the plant list below and see what comes naturally to your neck of the woods. 

For Wet & Shady Lawns:
  • Irish Moss | Sagina subulata
  • Scotch Moss | Sagina subulata ‘Aurea’
  • Lanceleaf Frog Fruit | Phyla lanceolata
  • Green-and-Gold | Chrysogonum virginianum
  • Barren Strawberry | Waldsteinia fragarioides
  • Sedges & rushes of all kinds
For Standard Sunny Lawns:
  • Creeping Mazus | Mazus reptans
  • Corsican Mint | Mentha requienii
  • Creeping Thyme | Thymus serpyllum
  • Creeping Wire Vine | Muehlenbeckia sp.
  • Creeping Jenny | Lysimachia nummularia
  • Clovers | Trifolium spp
  • Wood sorrel | Oxalis spp
  • Fescue | Festuca spp
  • Frog Fruit | Phyla nodiflora
  • Dwarf Mondo | Ophiopogon japonicus
For Compacted, Poor-Draining Lawns:
  • Virginia Buttonweed | Diodia virginiana
  • Broadleaf Plantain | Pantago major, P. rugelii

Don’t know where to start? That’s why we’re here.

We’ve helped plenty of households make the switch from grass lawns to native compositions that are easier to manage and friendlier to the environment. It may not be—and often isn’t—as simple as a wholesale reseeding of the entire property. We curate combinations of native landscaping, hardscaping, flowerbeds and edible plant life to thoughtfully replace your grass, square inch by square inch.

Let’s talk about what makes sense for your lawn.

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