If it Walks Like a Lawn and Talks Like a Lawn

It might be something else. Check out these environmentally friendly lawn substitutes.

by Susan Morrison

creative exteriors landscape design

(First in a six article series entitled "The Lawn is Gone - Now What?" published in East Bay area newspapers)

Reasons abound to consider removing or downsizing a traditional turf lawn. By now, we all know that turf is the biggest water hog in the landscape, so reducing the amount of lawn benefits both the environment and your water bill.

Less obvious is the impact of caring for your lawn. Fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides are carried by rain and irrigation run-off into storm drains that lead directly to the Bay. Lawn mowers contribute to air and noise pollution. And grass clippings, if bagged and removed, add to landfill waste.Finally, if you eliminate your grass altogether, weekly garden maintenance becomes a thing of the past. And which sounds better, a Saturday afternoon relaxing in a hammock or one spent mowing, edging and fertilizing?

Now that you know some advantages of ditching the grass, what do you do instead? Other posts in this series explore innovative design alternatives that eliminate the need for a lawn completely. But if your design calls for the look and feel of a lawn, then consider a lawn substitute.

When I create a landscape design with clients who are ready to abandon their traditional turf grass, we first determine whether the new “lawn” will be functional or ornamental.

Functional Lawn Substitutes Will kids and dogs be playing on it? Will it need to tolerate heavy or light foot traffic? While nothing replicates the durability of turf grass, an option that is becoming increasingly popular is a “lawn” of native California sedges.

Carex pansa, also known as California meadow sedge, grows 4” to 12” tall and spreads by runners to form a dense green mat. Once established, watering approximately once a week will keep your sedge lawn green in summer. Leave unmowed for a soft meadow effect, or mow occasionally to create a lawn that can handle substantial foot traffic.

Carex pansa lawn with lavender. Design and photo by Maureen Decombe.

For larger areas, Carex divulsa, Berkeley sedge, grows quickly to 2 - 2 ½ feet wide and about a foot tall, but is too tall and dense to easily walk on. Both sedges do well in light shade, an advantage over traditional turf grass lawns.

Carex divulsa in a full sun, low water, deer resistant front garden.

Other options for lawn substitutes are Chamaemelum nobile, Chamomile, and many varieties of Thymus, including Elfin, Creeping and Woolly Thyme. These ground covers take light foot traffic and release wonderful scents when stepped on. All are drought and sun tolerant, although the Chamomile prefers additional summer water and some shade in hot inland climates.

Creeping thyme lawn 10 months after installation.

Ornamental Lawn Substitutes A swath of green turf running through the landscape is a classic way to unify a garden. If your design calls for this type of “negative space” to rest the eye, a lawn substitute is a good option.

Proving that everything old is new again, one species of Juniper, Juniperus procumbens, is making a comeback as an exceptional lawn substitute. Growing 1 -2’ high, this juniper forms a dense, drought tolerant blue-green carpet. J. procumbens likes the shade and competes well with tree roots, making it far superior to turf grass as an understory for trees.

Other options include , Ceanothus ‘Centennial’ and Myoporum parvifolium. These have the added advantage of summer flowers but are not tolerant of foot traffic.

Design Opportunities Because of its high water and maintenance requirements, turf grass is easiest to care for when segregated by mow strips from the rest of the garden. In contrast, lawn substitutes mix well with other garden elements, opening up new design opportunities.

Incorporating boulders, for example, is a lovely way to show off their mounding and cascading effects.But don’t stop there. Instead of choosing one groundcover, why not create a tapestry? A mix of flowering thymes provides a low, walkable carpet, but is much more interesting than turf grass, particularly if you choose varieties with different foliage color. Or, a sweep of silvery Dymondia margaretae creates a spectacular foil for traditional green plants.

These lawn substitutes tolerate heavy clay soil but prefer good drainage, so amend with organic compost. It takes one to three years for most to fill in; they’ll depend on you to keep weeds at bay until they can take over the job.

While replacing a traditional lawn takes some design ingenuity and good old fashioned garden sweat to start, in no time at all you’ll be wondering why you ever bothered with turf in the first place.

Susan Morrison is the owner of Creative Exteriors Landscape Design in the East Bay. Susan has designed over 100 gardens, from postage stamp front yards to hillside estates. Her designs incorporate environmentally friendly principles that promote long term soil fertility, conserve water and limit the introduction of pollutants into the environment. Reach her at susan@celandscapedesign.com or 925.825.8285.