9 Low-Maintenance Lawn Alternatives

By Pro.com

We’ve all been there—the fleeting (sometimes lasting moment) where we look out at our lawn, the bare patches, stubborn plants, water bills… and we think, “how easy would it be to just pour in concrete.” May not be pretty, but it’d be easy, right? Before you turn your lawn into a basketball court, consider these other nine low-maintenance lawn alternatives. They may not be 100% effortless, but they’re fuss-free, will save you money on water and lawn care, and still look gorgeous!

1. Allergy-free Flora

If you keep your allergy pills next to the lawn mower, you may want to consider replacing your lawn with sneeze-less plants. Pollen free plants such as purple sage, spurge, day lilies, bamboo and mint all look beautiful and need minimal weeding and watering.

(Credit: kukuruxa/Shutterstock)
(Credit: kukuruxa/Shutterstock)

2. Ground Covers

There are a variety of creeping perennials and clover that almost look like a lawn, but requires much less care and water. Consider creeping thyme sprinkled in with a walkable gravel—the colorful blooms are delightful and the thyme releases a fragrance when walked on.

(Credit: Henrik Larsson/Shutterstock)
(Credit: Henrik Larsson/Shutterstock)

3. Turf Grass

Don’t recoil just because we said grass. If you can’t kick the green, replace your time-sucking lawn with turf grass. It needs a quarter of the water, rarely needs mowing and doesn’t need any fertilizer or pesticides. It’s an environmentalist’s kind of lawn.

(Credit: Freedom-AirPhoto/Shutterstock)
(Credit: Freedom-AirPhoto/Shutterstock)

4. Extend Your Patio

Either extend your patio or install a patio instead of a lawn. Make your backyard a retreat with a fireplace or water feature, covered patio or anything you can dream up. The concrete or wood patio definitely doesn’t need watering and can be brightened up with potted, drought-tolerant plants or creeping vines.

(Credit: JPL Designs/Shutterstock)
(Credit: JPL Designs/Shutterstock)

5. Go Native

Plant your lawn with the flora that’s indigenous to your area. It’s already adapted to the climate so it hardly needs any attention at all.

(Credit: Vahan Abrahamyan/Shutterstock)
(Credit: Vahan Abrahamyan/Shutterstock)

6. Gravel

Foot-friendly gravel like pea gravel is virtually maintenance-free. Green it up with potted plants, low shrubs along the border or succulents.

(Credit: Bruce C. Murray/Shutterstock)
(Credit: Bruce C. Murray/Shutterstock)

7. Permeable Paving

If you’re looking for a more natural look than poured concrete walkways, look into permeable pavements. They look like they’ve always been there and also allow water to trickle back into the soil.

(Credit: oksmit/Shutterstock)
(Credit: oksmit/Shutterstock)

8. Synthetic Grass

Slightly on the more expensive side, synthetic grass has all the pros of a lawn without any of the bother. The best part? You can use it to put in a putting green.

(Credit: FrameAngel/Shutterstock)
(Credit: FrameAngel/Shutterstock)

9. Simply Succulent

Create a tapestry of succulents in colorful shapes and sizes. You’d be surprised how beautiful these drought-resistant plants can be and won’t look anything like a bleak desert landscape. Since they were born and raised on the lonely range, they hardly need any attention at all.

(Credit: asharkyu/Shutterstock)
(Credit: asharkyu/Shutterstock)
 
 

Pro.com is a website founded in 2013 by service industry entrepreneurs and former Amazon executives to simplify home services -- especially research on contractor fees and qualifications.

Related Articles from Pro.com:

11 Best Garden and Nursery Stores in Seattle
11 Popular Bulbs to Plant This Spring
Lawn Care by the Season