Grace up your lawn with attractive landscapes without investing much in maintenance with the Best Grass Alternative Plants listed below!
Well-maintained lawns bring an impactful impression to homeowners. However, nurturing a grassy lawn can be hectic; trying out low-lying specimens that would thrive in neglect besides enhancing the landscape would be wise. If you are looking for the same, here are the Best Grass Alternative Plants you must check out!
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Best Grass Alternatives
1. Creeping Jenny
Botanical Name: Lysimachia nummularia
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
With its golden leaves and yellow blooms, Creeping Jenny spreads quickly to form soft mats perfect for open areas.
2. Creeping Thyme
Botanical Name: Thymus serpyllum
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Corsican Thyme handles foot traffic well, covering walkways and borders with durable purple blossoms.
3. Rupturewort
Botanical Name: Herniaria glabra
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Rupturewort thrives in neglect and covers the ground with a tiny, dense sheet of lush leaves, making it a great grass alternative.
4. Moss
Botanical Name: Bryophyta
Sun Exposure: Partial Sun
Moss forms a soft, velvety carpet in damp and shady areas. It offers a low-maintenance lawn substitute with its lush, unruly growth.
5. White Clover
Botanical Name: Trifolium repens
Sun Exposure: Full sun
White Clover is a hardy nitrogen-fixing legume that makes its fertilizer, needing no extra care to stay lush across lawns and yards.
6. Lily Turf
Botanical Name: Liriope muscari
Sun Exposure: Partial shade
Lily turf features slender grass-like leaves and fragrant lavender blooms. It holds up well to heavy foot traffic, making it perfect for replacing lawn grass in high-traffic areas.
7. Creeping Charlie
Botanical Name: Glechoma hederacea
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
This low-maintenance grass flourishes across lawns and poor soil with distinct round leaves. Light purple blooms add ornamental value to this adaptable ground cover.
8. Sweet Woodruff
Botanical Name: Galium odoratum
Sun Exposure: Partial shade
Sweet Woodruff produces tiny white star-shaped flowers with a subtle sweet scent. The lush green foliage reaches only 2 inches tall, perfect for low-lying shaded lawns.
9. Blue Star Creeper
Botanical Name: Isotoma fluviatilis
Sun Exposure: Full sun
The pretty flowering groundcover grows only 2-3 inches tall, making it one of the best grass alternative plants. It is also resistant to drought and extreme weather conditions.
10. Creeping Raspberry
Botanical Name: Rubus hayata-koidzumii
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
The green five-lobed foliage takes a burgundy hue in fall through winter, and the pretty white flowers add to the show. It is low-maintenance and pest-resistant.
11. Creeping Wire Vine
Botanical Name: Muehlenbeckia axillaris
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Creeping Wire Vine handles infertile, rocky, and dry soil quite well. Its vigorous spreading makes it useful as a large-scale ground cover.
12. Miniature Speedwell
Botanical Name: Veronica
Sun Exposure: Full sun
This dense mat-forming perennial has rich azure blossoms that spread quickly to block weeds. Its low height and medium-drought tolerance add to the appeal.
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13. Blue Fescue
Botanical Name: Festuca glauca
Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Blue Fescue’s slender blue-green blades add striking color and texture without needing mowing. This sturdy ornamental grass grows in neat, compact tufts.
14. Deadnettle
Botanical Name: Lamium purpurium
Sun Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
Variegated Deadnettle spreads quickly across shade gardens, with its leaves blanketing the ground.
15. Roman Chamomile
Botanical Name: Chamaemelum nobile
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
Dainty Roman Chamomile features aromatic foliage and abundant delicate white blooms. It makes a lovely low-maintenance lawn substitute.
16. Wild Ginger
Botanical Name: Asarum canadense
Sun Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
This low-growing plant produces unique reddish-brown blooms hidden under its broad sheltering leaves. It grows slowly and requires moist soil.
17. Dwarf Plumbago
Botanical Name: Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
The Dwarf Plumbago is a compact, easy-care plant that produces abundant clusters of true-blue flowers. It adds great color impact and little care is needed.
18. Prairie Dropseed
Botanical Name: Sporobolus heterolepis
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
With its fine, green foliage and airy seed heads, Prairie Dropseed adds texture and movement to gardens, which makes it an amazing grass alternative plant.
19. Golden Star
Botanical Name: Chrysogonum virginianum
Sun Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
The Golden Star illuminates shaded areas with its vibrant yellow daisy-like blooms and lush dark green foliage that forms a compact carpet.
20. Blue-Eyed Grass
Botanical Name: Sisyrinchium bellum ‘North Coast’
Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
This grass-like plant produces small, blue flowers with yellow centers that resemble eyes. It is a low-maintenance plant that grows quickly and is ideal for use in rock gardens.
21. Barren Strawberry
Botanical Name: Waldsteinia ternata
Sun Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
Another of the best grass alternatives, the barren strawberry features evergreen foliage that remains trim and forms lush mats ornamented with small flowers.
22. Woodland Phlox
Botanical Name: Phlox divaricata
Sun Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
Woodland Phlox perfumes garden beds and natural areas with abundant stacks of five-petaled lavender-blue flowers from late spring to summer.
23. Foamflower
Botanical Name: Tiarella
Sun Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
This plant features delicate, frothy flowers that bloom in shades of white, pink, or purple. What makes it an attractive grass alternative is its ease of maintenance.
24. Bugleweed
Botanical Name: Ajuga reptans
Sun Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
Bugleweed produces spikes of blue or purple flowers and features glossy, dark green leaves, which makes it stand out in any yard.
25. Canadian Columbine
Botanical Name: Aquilegia canadensis
Sun Exposure: Part Shade to Full Sun
With its nodding, bell-shaped flowers, and delicate foliage, the Canadian Columbine is perfect for adding grace and beauty to your lawn.
26. Allegheny Spurge
Botanical Name: Pachysandra procumbens
Sun Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
This low-growing plant has glossy, evergreen leaves and produces small, white flowers in the spring.
27. Bearberry
Botanical Name: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Bearberry displays small glossy leaves that turn vibrant red in fall, later producing clusters of bright red berries for winter interest.
