When you’ve grown beyond your grass, replace your unused lawn with massed ground covers or a mix of low growers
Like any traditional American gardener , I ’ve bear homage to the gods of turfgrass around my mansion . I ’ll let in thatlawnsprovide a place to pillow the center and showcase mixed borders ; they also make a sense of fiat and safety around the house . But turfgrass is boring — not to mention high maintenance . All the purchasing and schlepping of products and the unvarying mowing and tearing isoverwhelming . Maintaining my lawn require carrying a lawn mower down some tricky stairs , and because I did n’t water my lawn , it lookedbrownfor most of the summer . So I was really being selfish when I dug up and composted my turfgrass . And with the grass gone , I also kissed good - bye to the mower , the fertilizer , the sprinkler , and almost all of the weeding .
If you do n’t postulate a tough playing surface for kids and dogs , locoweed can be replaced with just about anything — trees , shrub , perennial , edibles , terrace , gazebos — but I chose to simply simulate the look of a lawn using plant more to my liking . No mini - hayfield for me — justlow ground coversthat require little or no charge , are interesting and fun to grow , and look good all year . What I call my gorgeous “ exlawn ” is thriving with a commixture of evergreen plant ground covers that enjoy Lord’s Day , can handle easy traffic , and will survive a heavy garden hose being lugged across them .
Mass these ground covers for a one-of-a-kind look
The most grasslike plant I ’ve experiment with islilyturf(Liriope spicataand cvs . ) . Definitely in the “ thug ” class , lilyturf is best planted alone and in controlled site . I recommend it for the hellstrip between pavement and streets , but its vigorous runners may still reappear on the other side of the sidewalk . I would avert implant it in areas you take the air over because it has a lumpy growth habit and reaches 8 to 16 in tall . Because Liriope muscari does not want mowing , you could also plant it on exorbitant banks where wearing away is a problem and mowing is difficult . In moist or dry soil and in sun or shade , this flora thrive ( but spreads less sharply in full ghost ) . Because it fills in tight , this type of genus Liriope will cover large space at little or no cost . In my town , neighbour are always uncoerced to deal their extra .
A well - behaved cousin ( Liriope muscariand cvs . , USDA Hardiness Zones 6–10 ) is a much better option where circularize would be a trouble . It has the same carefree qualities as lilyturf , including the optional care of late - winter clip or mowing to remove shabby foliation .
Thyme(Zones 4–9 ) broadcast slowly , but once established , it ’s a drouth - tolerant and fragrant undercoat cover version that requires little maintenance . picture : Michelle Gervais
Mazus(Zones 5–8 ) works well for moist , shady website with some foot traffic .
Where my ellipse - shaped , 20 - foot - long by 11 - infantry - extensive front lawn once grew , I planted a few varieties ofthyme(Thymusspp . and cvs . ) for their fragrance and drought tolerance . Slow spread and at a cost of $ 3 to $ 6 per plant , they ’re not an cheap option . you could have a bun in the oven each plant to spread about 6 inches per twelvemonth , so filling a bombastic distance takes a hefty budget or a draw of patience . I study the hard way of life that plop thyme into regular garden soil just wo n’t do . It needs a adept 6 - inch depth of tight - draining soil for optimal growth .
If you are growing thyme , expect to weed aggressively the first year . During the 2nd class , it will begin to outcompete fresh dope seeds , and by the third or fourth season , it will strive full coverage . To hurry up the process , divide larger clumps to fill up in any gaps . Once fill in , thyme is nigh to trouble - detached . It does n’t require cut down or fertilizing and only needs water in drought conditions . It can deal restrained metrical unit dealings ( being walked on once or twice a daylight ) , and it releases a lovely fragrance as you stroll over it . I grow ‘ Bressingham ’ creeping thyme ( T. doerfleri‘Bressingham ’ , Zones 6–9 ) and white mouse thyme ( T. serphyllum‘Albus ’ , Zones 4–9 ) ; both are under 2 inches tall .
An alternative for funny sites with some daily foot traffic ismazus(Mazus reptansand cvs . ) , which spreads by creeping stems that root as they mouse along . At 2 inch grandiloquent , it look almost flat against the filth . It prefers dampish dirt , so provide some irrigation in dry climates . When install , it ’s a dull gullible carpeting that outcompetes weeds and sportswoman attractive lavender blooms in natural spring through summer . It is note for fall people of colour in some climates and is evergreen in warm area .
gilded creeping Jenny(Lysimachia nummularia‘Aurea ’ ) is a love thug . It does n’t play well with its neighbors but is everlasting for replace lawns as it can be maintain within bounds simply by edging . The plant is less than 3 inches tall with an fast-growing spread . Its eye - drink down chartreuse leaves wrick an attractive red ink in wintertime , then green up again in early leaping . It tolerates full sun to partial shade and need supplemental water during full stop of moderate drouth . It ’s tough enough to manage occasional infantry dealings .
Mix these low growers for a creative alternative to turf
If a individual species massed together is not exciting enough for you , make your own grow mosaic by combine a few species together .
Vigorous enough to be combined with golden creeping Jenny isdwarf cinquefoil(Potentilla neumanniana‘Nana ’ ) ; together , they forge a lovely mosaic in chartreuse and light green . From April to June , nanus five-finger has small , buttery gold blossom , which vacillate over touchy hemangioma simplex - corresponding parting that reach 3 to 4 inches marvelous with about a 1 - foot spread . found it in well - run out soil in full sun to partial shade and then will it alone ; it ’s tough as nails but does n’t stick out being transplant . gnome five-finger can take more pes traffic than the other lawn alternatives I ’ve planted , but it still ca n’t address any soccer game .
In my 1,000 - hearty - foot backyard , I plantedgolden rug sedum(Sedum acre , Zones 3–8 ) , a creeping variety that is only 4 inches marvelous . Because I already had this succulent growing along my teetotal streambed , I simply arise chunk of it and plant them a fundament apart across the area that was once lawn ; within two months , they completely occupy in without costing me a cent . It ’s drought tolerant and never needs feed — or really any tending at all . By the second year , the sedum was fatheaded enough to completely outcompete weeds . Golden carpeting sedum has bright yellow blooms in late spring , which are cut across by pollinators . Its undulating habit is lovely , and despite a short root system , it retain the soil on the hillside in my back garden . Although it is slower grow , pussyfoot red sedum ( Sedum spuriumand cvs . , Zones 4–9 ) mutant multicolored leaves and make an interesting combination with golden carpet sedum . Both varieties manage unaccented foot traffic .
For a squeamish associate to crawl sedums , I triedDutch bloodless clover(Trifolium repens , Zones 4–8 ) . Clovers were once added to turf mixes for their excellent nitrogen - fixing or ego - fertilizing talents until the dope sea wolf 2,4 - D turn out to kill it , too ; after that , advertiser simply rebranded it as a weed . It ’s not a weed . It ’s a self - feeding wonder plant , and compared to common turfgrasses , it tolerates more shade , poorer soils , and less water . Yet when I mix clover with a creeping sedum , by the 2d season it shadow and then killed the shorter flora , so do n’t do what I did ! Clover is best grown alone to shape a cheap , easy - care lawn ( though one that ’s not tough enough for sports ) . Clover growers can mow on a regular basis to mimic the facial expression of a lawn , cut down once in summertime to get rid of browned peak and encourage rebloom , or not mop at all .
My exlawn is sure more colourful and interesting than turfgrass could ever be and is less work — that is , less piece of work than the perfect - looking , overwatered , overfed , and oversprayed lawn my dad was so majestic of . My mix of Liriope muscari , thyme , mazus , creeping Jenny , gnome cinquefoil , sedum , and clover is always evolving . I ’ll be tweaking it for twelvemonth to do . After all , what I love is gardening , not “ yardening . ”
3 Ways to Remove Grass
1. Power it up
you’re able to slice the sod with a superoxide dismutase cutter , but expect to get some in effect exercise in the mental process . A gas - powered sod cutter is not as fast and easy as its Jehovah claim , but it ’s deserving a try ; it can be rent from most equipment - rental stores for about $ 45 a day . For the same cost , try a rototiller . It unearths the grass and weeds but does not remove them . The trouble is that , because the grass and weeds are not removed , the seminal fluid and stem stay and weeding soon becomes a job .
2. Muscle it out
I used a flat - edge digger to remove my lawn . I slid the vane under the sod roots , slit out an area , and lifted the clump out by hired man . I murder about 30 square foot of sodomist per hour this style . I cold - compost the clumps of sod , which delivered the best compost ever — without my ever deliver to turn the pile .
3. Smother it down
The stratum method ( also known as “ lawn lasagna ” ) smothers rather than removes the gage . blank space eight overlap layers of newspaper or one bed of composition board over the area you want to absent , then cover that with about a 3 - inch - thick layer of weed - barren mulch or compost . Water it down , and wait . This simple-minded decompose procedure takes six calendar month to a year . So if you have solitaire , this is a good option for you .
Susan Harris tends her exlawn in the Washington , D.C. , orbit . She is a member of the Lawn Reform Coalition , and writes forGardenRant.com .
Photos , except where remark : Steve Aitken
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Lilyturf spreads to form a lush, grasslike cover, but it’s too lumpy to walk across. Use it in out-of-the-way areas and on steep banks.
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Thyme(Zones 4–9) spreads slowly, but once established, it’s a drought-tolerant and fragrant ground cover that requires little maintenance.Photo: Michelle Gervais
Mazus(Zones 5–8) works well for moist, shady sites with some foot traffic.
Golden creeping Jenny(Zones 4–8) spreads very aggressively and forms an eye-catching ground cover that changes color with the seasons.
Dwarf cinquefoil(Zones 5–8).Photo: courtesy of robsplants.com
Golden carpet sedum and Dutch white clover played nice together for just one season. All-clover or a mix of short sedums are better choices.Photo: courtesy of Susan Harris
