At now, water is in high demand. Since 2000, the incidence and duration of droughts have increased by over a third in many countries. One of the many reasons gardeners seek alternatives to lawns is a lack of irrigation. There are additional grass choices for residents of New England or the surrounding area besides natural ground cover. Learn more about lawn options in the Northeast by reading on.
Why Gardeners Should Consider Alternatives to Lawn
A lawn alternative could be a wise decision for your landscape for more than just water saving. Lawns need a lot of upkeep and often depend on a variety of hazardous chemicals, which are expensive and bad for our ecology and pollinators.
Although having grass to play on is lovely for the kids and Dogs, other options provide the same pleasure as a lawn without the waste, work, expense, and environmental damage.
Most effective groundcover for New England
A perennial ground cover can be the first thing that comes to mind if you consider replacing your turf grass. This is justified but thinks about your alternatives before moving further. Vinca minor (periwinkle), English ivy, and pachysandra are ubiquitous ground coverings. However, they are also quite invasive and uninspiring. All three of these ground coverings are often seen in most people’s homes.
That is not to say that ground covering is a poor substitute for a lawn. They quickly fill in and do not need mowing. Many different kinds of ground cover have root systems that withstand soil erosion, are drought-tolerant, evergreen, and often have the advantage of flowering. There are also ground coverings for regions that are shaded or in the sun.
Turf substitutes that like the sun include bugleweed and hens and chicks. Allegheny spurge, Christmas fern, and European ginger are other shade-alternative plants. The latter is pachysandra, but this particular species (P. procumbens) is a tough native plant that can withstand dryness and belongs in the landscape.
When replacing turf, low-growing succulents may work nicely. Sedum takes immense “Atlantis” is one such choice.
New England Lawn Options
White clover is another choice for a lawn (Trifolium repens). White clover, like black medic (Medicago lupulina) & birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), fixes nitrogen, making them behave as fertilizers. They were formerly often found in grass seed mixtures. Additional choices include deer-resistant common blue violet (Viola soraria), creeping thyme, ground ivy (G. hederacea), cinquefoil, and ground ivy.
Use “NO-Mow” grass mixes of fine fescue if you like to simulate the appearance of turf without the effort of mowing; once established, they need no maintenance. Uncut fescue grows to a height of around 12–15 inches (30–38 cm) in mounds that are only had to be mowed 4 times a year to maintain a height of 4 inches (10 cm). There are cultivars appropriate for usage in the sun, shade, and different types of soil.
Sedges are another alternative for a space without grass. The Pennsylvania sedge is one substitute for grass (Carex pensylvanica). This 10-inch (25-cm) clumping grass is weed-resistant and drought-tolerant. Whereas Carex laxiculmis (Spreading sedge) has silvery-blue leaves, Seersucker sedge (Carex plantaginea) has puckered, wavy foliage.
While sedges prefer shade, Liriope spicata, a spreading variety with spikes of violet flowers in the summer, or Liriope muscari, a less aggressive clumping variety, provide excellent alternatives for lawns in full sun. In the early spring, sedge and liriope should be mowed only once at the maximum setting.
Some alternative lawn tips for Northeast gardeners
A charming alternative to a standard lawn is a meadow garden comprising a mixture of grasses and perennials. But keep in mind that it takes these meadows two to three years to form. Yet once they do, the region is brought to life by the habitat, food, and shelter they provide for animals and pollinators.
Last, a lawn may be made smaller to minimize care time by enlarging the beds around it and including trees, shrubs, ground covers, and perennial bloomers. You may choose minimal maintenance, drought-resistant, pollinator-friendly, and non-invasive plants that are guaranteed to satisfy the eye and decrease the need for labor, pesticides, or irrigation by carefully considering your options.