We all want to have a beautiful lawn but taking care of a lawn can be a daunting task. Fertilizer, pesticides and watering all need to be dealt with to keep your lawn looking beautiful. If you don’t want to deal with taking care of lawn, there are other options you can go with.
Alternatives to Grass in Your Front & Backyard
1. Synthetic grass. If you want your lawn to look like grass you can go with synthetic grass. Synthetic grass is pretty much identical to real grass in appearance and texture. Synthetic grass can be made of nylon, polyethylene or polypropylene. Nylon is great for foot traffic and when spikes in temperature occur. Polyethylene grass is soft and bright in appearance, but you’ll sacrifice durability for affordability. Depending on your budget and the look you want, it can be a less expensive choice than real grass when it comes to maintenance.
2. Ornamental grasses. Another option is to use ornamental grasses that include blue oat, little bluestem, blue fescue and fountain grass. These are great choices in areas with extreme heat as they are very resistant to it-. They grow great in all types of soil and don’t require much maintenance. They require little fertilizer and are resistant to pest and plant diseases. Another great benefit with turf grasses is they don’t need to be mowed and they retain their shape well. They also won’t spread like crazy because they need seeds, not rhizomes to reproduce but these grasses can’t handle a lot of foot traffic.
3. Black scallop bugleweed. These plants have dark leaves and blue flowers. They can’t deal with a lot of foot traffic and work great as an edging material. It doesn’t spread quickly and impedes pesky weeds. Black scallop bugleweed needs well-draining soil and the flowers will need to be trimmed when they bloom.
4. Roman chamomile. Typical lawn grass can be replaced with roman chamomile. It doesn’t need much maintenance and blooms pretty flowers with a yellow center and white petals. They also smell like apples. They do best when given full sunlight but will still grow with less than necessary sunlight. They always need to be planted in soil that drains well to ensure the plant spreads over the entire lawn quickly. As long as foot traffic is relatively light, roman chamomile will do great.
5. Sweet woodruff. Another alternative to grass is sweet woodruff. It’s a flowering perennial that smells great and looks great. The little white flowers look like stars and it’s edible. Sweet woodruff doesn’t need a lot of irrigation and resists weeds well.
6. Red creeping thyme. These red and purple flowers bloom well in the summer and cover well. Red creeping thyme puts up with foot traffic and looks great when grown around stones and patios. It does need to grow in soil that drains well and needs full sunlight.
Landscape Design, Lawn Care Services & More in Greater Morrisville, Stowe, Hyde Park, Elmore, Cambridge, Morristown & Lamoille County, Vermont
Traditional lawns are beautiful, but other options have benefits too. If you’re through with traditional grass then consider one of these alternatives and give Matt Myette Landscaping a call for a consultation today!