Lawn Alternatives


Okay, you thought that the lawn in front of your house would be a fabulous idea and you even implemented that idea for sometime. Now the 'green' reality has struck you and it seems that the enthusiasm has faded off. The lawn is looking shabby and unkempt. The reason, simple. Grass lawn maintenance is a tedious and expensive job. For most of us, the daily grind of work hardly leaves us with time to sit back, ponder and do something about these things. A way to effectively deal with this problem is to consider alternatives for lawns. What are they? The answer lies ahead.

Alternatives to Grass Lawns

Think Ornamental and Floral
Well, taking care of grass is a tricky job. No problem. What are ornamental grasses and umpteen shrubs and flower plants for? A good idea would be to replace a portion of the lawn with either a shrub or an ornamental grass (you are sure to find it very easily) or grasses. To add a different dimension, the section of ornamental grass can be peppered with shrubs and flowers. Blue Fescue, ferns are a good alternatives to grass. Low growing height and fast spreading are the 2 characteristics which have to be checked out before you zero in on any shrub.

Clover
Clover is another excellent lawn alternative. Some of the qualities which make it a great choice to replace grass are that clover stays green all summer, it is almost pest free and resists weeds, doesn't need fertilizers and attracts beneficial insects. Moreover, if you are thinking of lawn alternatives for dogs, this is the one which you would not want to miss giving a thought. The reason is that there is no discoloration as a result of dog urine, called 'dog spots'. All in all, clover can prove to be a really good replacement for a lawn as all these qualities lead to the fact that clover, especially, dutch white clover is very easy to maintain.

Strolling Garden
A strolling garden refers to a type of garden which has meandering or winding paths amongst the raised beds. The beds can comprise flowering or edible plants and if you are not much into gardening, you can have durable and low maintenance plants and shrubs to make things manageable.

Fake it Up
If you would have seen hockey matches, you might have an idea that many of the hockey grounds have an artificial turf. This is yet another umpteen lawn alternative, and alternative to grass lawns you can consider. Although not a very path breaking or a recent concept, artificial turf is fast gaining popularity. This is especially so with regards to sun scorched areas and areas where there is no water.

California Meadow Sedge
If available, California meadow sedge is a creeper sedge, which grows only up to 4 to 6 inches. It can be pretty enduring towards trampling and adjusts itself to several soil conditions. Be it sunny conditions or partial shade, these are fit for both.

Deck'ed' Up
Consider having a patio or deck instead of a lawn. A thought which comes to my mind when I think is a lawn really required? Is it feasible? If it is not, then why not consider having a patio or deck as against a conventional lawn? Even for that matter, a wood deck can be great as an answer to the lawn. There are various ways in which you can have the deck. It can be attached to the house, raised or can be built at the ground level. Plants and shrubs further can complete the entourage.

Amongst other ideas you can have something like paths within the yard, use drought tolerant grasses or xeriscaping as a very eco-friendly and intelligent option. Xeriscaping refers to a landscaping design which is made especially to tackle drought conditions well.

Go green, in a different way!

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