41. Walk-on Lawn Substitutes

Even in times of normal rainfall, I try to discourage residential lawns unless someone really needs a play space for their kids.  With California’s severe drought, its time to consider replacing any lawn areas in your garden.  There are many ways to replace that thirsty, chemically dependent, monocultural lawn.  These include a native meadow, other Mediterranean climate shrubs, or permeable pavings like crushed stone.  However, it is a little harder is to find a drought tolerant substitute for a lawn that can take the same kind of uses.  Especially difficult is finding a non-grass plant that has such a uniform texture for activities like soccer and croquet.  There are a few options out there; some are simply grass types that can use less water, while others are low-growing plants that don’t mind foot traffic.  If the foot traffic is very light, or you can add some stepping stones, the options expand to a longer list.  You will also see in local nurseries a few low mat-forming plants that are walkable, but some use as much water as a traditional lawn.

Five Plants to Consider

Based on my experience and research I’ve picked five plants to look at in more detail as good walk-on lawn substitutes for Northern California gardens:

1. UC Verde Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides ‘UC Verde’)

This species of grass is native to central North American prairies.  The UC Verde is a selected variety that grows better in California, although not as good on the immediate coast.  This grass is a little slow to fill in but eventually spreads by runners to form a uniform lawn.  It naturally grows to about 4” tall with minimal water, but added irrigation will cause it to grow taller.  Once this grass is established (usually about a 2 year process) it becomes a nice lawn that needs about 20% to 40% less water than traditional turf.  Besides the somewhat long establishment period, its other disadvantage is winter dormancy:  it turns brown in the late fall, still covering the ground but not as nice looking.  It greens back up with new growth in the early spring.  There are some excellent resources online that provide all the details on installing and maintaining this type of grass lawn, see the References below.

2. Dune Sedge / Meadow Sedge (Carex pansa)

This is a fairly well-known lawn substitute, along with a few other members of the Carex genus such as Carex praegracilis.  A California native plant, this Sedge is grass-like, but a little more coarse in texture than lawn grasses.  It tends to grow higher than most lawn grasses, but with regular mowing it can have a pretty uniform texture.  This grass is considered a moderate water user, but still uses less than a traditional lawn in most situations.  One article reports that this grass uses 50%-70% less water than the typical Los Angeles lawn (see article reference below).  Meadow Sedge is great choice for those that definitely need a walkable lawn but want to save some water.

3. Dymondia / Silver Carpet (Dymondia margarete)

This plant has wider leaf blades than a lawn grass but still grows low and forms a fairly uniform carpet.  Native to South Africa, this plant has a nice grey-green and silver foliage and occasional yellow flowers.  Once established it needs little water, however with too little water the texture will change, with the leaves curling up a little bit.  It can only take light foot traffic, so it is not suitable as a replacement for a lawn that gets heavy use.

4. Beach Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis)

Although not similar in appearance to a lawn, the Beach Strawberry is an excellent California native alternative.  It is related to the commercial edible strawberry, but its fruit production is less prolific, with smaller, bitter berries. It has some white flowers in the spring, and the leaves can take on a nice reddish color in the fall.  Although it forms a fairly even carpet that can be kept uniform by mowing, it is a little lumpy for some lawn play activities like croquet.  It can do well in partial shade, but may not form as much of an even carpet in shadier spots.

5. Creeping Thyme (Thymus praecox arcticus)

There are several good varieties of this low growing Thyme, all of which have low water needs and fragrant leaves.  It spreads quickly and easily as long as the soil has good drainage and it isn’t overwatered.  It is covered with small lavender flowers in the spring & summer, however they can attract a lot of bees.  The variety ‘Elfin’ is smaller leaved than most and has only a few flowers, so that helps with any bee issues.  Like the Dymondia, Creeping Thyme also tolerates only light foot traffic.

Other Planting Options

Below is a more comprehensive list of alternative plantings, including several good options that will still have a low uniform look but aren’t walkable.  In a garden it is always nice to have low open areas to keep the design from getting too busy and cluttered, so plants like the Groundcover Manzanita and Stonecrop are great ones for those situations.I’ve also included on the list some common low groundcovers like Blue Star Creeper that can take the place of a lawn but won't help you conserve water.  Normally I would not recommend these, but they could have a place in certain small areas.  They do have one advantage over lawn, they provide a more interesting looking ‘carpet’ that can include seasonal flowers.  They also tend to require less fertilizer and herbicides, and probably provide more habitat value than a traditional lawn.

Artificial Turf

Artificial turf is another option when looking for water-saving ways to replace a lawn while still providing a good space for recreation.  It does have a high installation cost but there is some offsetting savings in watering, fertilization and other maintenance.  You will still need to occasionally hose artificial turf down to keep it clean, and also on hot days – it can get hot to the touch.   The fact that it is artificial means it has no value as habitat and doesn't provide any of the other benefits that living plants do.  The pros and cons of artificial turf is a larger discussion that I will follow up on later.

Hopefully this inspires you to get rid of that lawn and make a significant impact on your garden's water use while creating a more interesting looking space!

References:

Reimagining The California Lawn, Water Conserving Plants, Practices, and Design,a book by Carol Bornstein, David Fross and Bart O’Brien

Master Gardeners of San Francisco – web article “Lawn Alternatives – Ground Cover Trial”  interesting study of 3 lawn substitutes for coastal northern CA:  http://smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.org/Elkus/ground_cover/

California Native Plant Society – web article “Alternative to Lawns”  by Deva Luna   https://www.cnps.org/about/newsroom

Steppables– a supplier of low-growing “steppable” plants:http://www.stepables.com/

UC Verde Buffalograss Links:  http://ucverdebuffalograss.com/   and https://ccuh.ucdavis.edu/uc-verde-buffalograss

John Greenlee Associates has great information and photos on many grasses: https://www.greenleeandassociates.com/

The Lowdown on Dymondia and Three Other Lawn Alternatives, article in the LA Times,January 23, 2013 http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/23/news/la-lh-dymondia-and-three-other-lawn-alternatives-20130123

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