Want to Replace Your Lawn With Something Else? You Have Options
The classic front yard with vibrant, freshly mowed green grass is quintessentially American. "We’ve been trained for generations to think prominence, wealth and having made it are heavy, green manicured lawn spaces," says Mary Phillips, Head of Native Plant Strategy for the National Wildlife Federation. Because lawns often resemble a status symbol, it’s easy to never question the amount of money, resources, time and effort they take to keep the grass looking beautiful.
Turf may be convenient for recreation, such as kids playing chase or catching a ball or having a picnic but it's far from sustainable or biodiverse. As more people become aware of lawns being ecological deserts, many are turning to lawn alternatives to create a more wildlife-friendly environment on their properties and contribute to the biodiversity where they live. After all, maintaining a lawn requires a lot of water, gasoline to power lawn mowers, along with time and energy to mow. Many people rely on harmful pesticides and herbicides to keep the grass looking good, too. "The way we manage lawns right now takes a significant environmental toll on our landscape," says Phillips.
Grass uses finite natural resources for land that isn't contributing to the ecosystem, pollinators or inhabitants. "Lawns do not support a lot of wildlife species that are so critical to our food chains, to our environment, and to the overall health of our communities," says Philips. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in the United States, eight billion gallons of water is used primarily for landscape irrigation each day.
The pesticides commonly used for lawn maintenance are also harmful to insects, birds and animals. "There’s significant use of chemicals that run into our watershed," explains Philips. Watersheds, also known as drainage basins, go into our rivers, bays and oceans, meaning what we put on our lawns eventually contaminates our water. "Pesticides and herbicides may make [the lawn] look good but you’re killing not just bad insects, you’re gonna kill everything," says Kathy Jentz, author of Groundcover Revolution and host of the GardenDC podcast. "It’s killing your beneficial insects—your butterflies, your bees—and in turn that affects the birds and everything else up the food chain, including yourself." A lawn full of harmful chemicals isn’t an ideal place for anyone to be near, whether it's your backyard, having a picnic, running around or laying on the grass. "You wouldn't want your children and pets playing on the lawn that was just sprayed either," she says.
There are alternatives available that not only contribute to biodiversity, but are low-maintenance, and use little to no water. Choosing and implementing alternatives can be as simple as swapping small patches of lawn for native flowers and plants or replacing your lawn entirely with a ground cover or a meadow.
Clover
Clover is a type of legume that has small, bright green leaves, produces small flowers and fixes nitrogen into the soil. White clover (Trifolium repens) is a common variety of clover that makes a lawn alternative because it needs to be mowed minimally and sometimes you can forgo it all together and needs minimal water. It can be blended into your grass or allow it to gradually take over and replace your turf. Clover has often been classified as a weed so given space to grow, it will blanket your lawn with ease.
Many lawns may already have clover growing, which is a sign that it grows well in your region. Jentz explains you can seed white clover directly into the grass, taking a year or two to convert to clover. There’s minimal maintenance as there is no mowing necessary and you rarely need to water. You don't have to water clover or you shouldn’t have to," says Jentz. "I’ve never watered my clover but I’m not in a desert climate, so if you’re in a drier climate, you might consider watering but rarely." Clover flowers provide nectar that attract and benefit butterflies, bees and moths.
If you opt for a clover alternative lawn, expect more bees to buzz around, so anyone who is allergic will need to be more careful and should avoid walking on clover with bare feet.
Moss
Moss is an easy low-maintenance alternative for areas that receive ample shade, such as borders, pathways, and slopes. Moss typically isn’t a replacement for turf and is best used when reducing shady lawn areas. "Moss provides a uniform, green appearance without the need for mowing or pesticides," says Philips. "It thrives in conditions where turf grass struggles, such as compacted, rocky soil, shady areas or on slopes prone to erosion."" Moss saves water, too, as it can handle droughts and areas with minimal to low rainfall. "Once established, moss lawns typically don’t require watering, going dormant in dry spells and reviving with rainfall," says Philips. Moss needs shade to survive so plant it at the base of trees or under a tree canopy. Make sure to prepare the area by removing lawn or any plants, then apply purchased native moss to the soil and allow it to adapt to its new home. Choose moss native to your area via the Native Plant Finder to contribute to the ecosystem and benefit wildlife.
Meadow
Converting a section of your lawn or replacing it entirely with a meadow with native grasses and wildflowers is a wonderful way to create biodiversity and attract insects and wildlife. Meadows are versatile and can be planted in any area, whether it’s the back, front or side yard that receives sufficient sun—typically around six hours per day. "Consider transforming open space into meadows that include taller native plants like milkweed, goldenrod, asters, and native grasses that provide tremendous nectar resources and host plant resources for monarchs, [and] pollinators along with food and cover for birds," says Philips. "Once they’re established, they don’t need a high level of maintenance."
Planting a meadow takes a little forethought and requires removing your existing lawn.This can be done by a method known as soil solarization, covering the section of grass with black plastic for around two months to kill the lawn. Then, you can plant seeds, mats or plugs, a single or cluster of small plants.
There is a misconception that meadows are wild spaces that are unkempt. When creating a meadow, consider designing a path or adding structures such as a birdhouse to the space to create a nice aesthetic and show that the area is purposeful, suggests Phillips.
Native garden beds
Growing native plants are a key component for creating habitat and food sources for insects, caterpillars, birds and other wildlife. Consider creating areas in the garden, whether the front, side or back yard and plant natives, such as shrubs, wildflowers and grasses, if you’re looking to reduce the amount of lawn on your property. "[Plant] a variety of native plants with shrubs because those are really important as well for both pollinators and birds," says Philips. "There are some really nice, tall growing native grasses that can add texture to these spaces as well." Once you know what native plants you want to grow, purchase them at your local nursery and plant them in your chosen area.
Be prepared to share your garden with caterpillars, insects, birds and other critters as this is part of the cycle. For example, caterpillars may munch on some leaves before turning into beneficial moths or butterflies or may end up as lunch for birds.
Native wildflower ground cover
Native wildflower ground cover is a wonderful alternative to replacing a lawn. "Ground covers are a category of plants that literally cover the ground," says Jentz. "A lot of ground covers are flowering so benefiting pollinators [and] some of them have berries that will support the bird population." There are many types of ground covers, including low-growing native wildflowers that provide food and habitat for pollinators. "Low-growing native wildflowers, such as violets, significantly improve the value of lawn areas for wildlife," says Philips. Despite their array of flowers, many low growing grasses can be used for recreation and walked on. Prepare the area by removing the lawn, weeds or plants in the space you wish to grow ground cover. Once the area is ready, plant ground cover and space according to plant types and specified on the plant tags.
"If you’re choosing it for a play area, or someplace where you want kids to throw the ball around, those plants do attract pollinators," says Philips. She mentions to yet again be aware that bees could be present, though they typically fly away when you start walking on the low-growing grass.
Before you dig in, consider your goals for your landscape. Many lawn alternatives can be integrated slowly and over time, allowing you to figure out what you want and what is best for your property.
Top photo by Joe Fletcher, originally found in Each Generation Builds on the Last at This Rural Retreat in Western Pennsylvania
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