3 Sustainable Lawn Alternatives (for Cold Climates)

It's no secret we're not huge lawn fans at Epic Gardening - I don't have one in my yard, @jacquesinthegarden doesn't in his, and Chris DOES have a lawn...that she created herself and that includes NO turf grass, while providing all of the traditional benefits of a lawn space. In this video she'll go over 3 different alternatives for those of you in colder climates.

IN THIS VIDEO

Available from many seed providers:
→ Buckwheat
→ Borage
→ Sweet alyssum
→ Winter field peas
→ Native wildflower seeds (buy from a local source)
→ Clover (Microclover, Red clover, Crimson clover, White Dutch clover)
→ Self heal
→ Chamomile
→ Yarrow

Perennial ground covers available from most garden centres:
→ Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina)
→ Mediterranean creeping thyme (Thymus longicaulis)
→ Creeping thyme, multiple species and varieties of Thymus praecox and Thymus serpyllum
→ Wooly thyme (Thymus praecox subs. britannicus)
→ Alpine Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
→ Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)
→ Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
→ Redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana)
→Wild ginger (Asarum canadense)
→ Bulbs: Crocus, Galanthus (snowdrops), Fritillaria, Narcissus (daffodil)

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro
01:08 - Benefits Of Covering The Ground
01:53 - 1. Cover Crop
03:43 - 2. Low-growing Perennials
07:13 - 3. Turfgrass Lawn Alternative
10:35 - Outro

DISCLAIMER

[epicgardening]

Full list of all of Chris' lawn alternative suggestions:


Available from many seed providers:
→ Buckwheat
→ Borage
→ Sweet alyssum
→ Winter field peas
→ Native wildflower seeds (buy from a local source)
→ Clover (Microclover, Red clover, Crimson clover, White Dutch clover)
→ Self heal
→ Chamomile
→ Yarrow

Perennial ground covers available from most garden centres:
→ Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina)
→ Mediterranean creeping thyme (Thymus longicaulis)
→ Creeping thyme, multiple species and varieties of Thymus praecox and Thymus serpyllum
→ Wooly thyme (Thymus praecox subs. britannicus)
→ Alpine Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
→ Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)
→ Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
→ Redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana)
→Wild ginger (Asarum canadense)
→ Bulbs: Crocus, Galanthus (snowdrops), Fritillaria, Narcissus (daffodil)

[kathrynmettelka]

My husband, the non-gardener, once looked out at the yard and asked, "Didn't we use to have grass?" Not any more. Garden beds have replaced it, along with paths of pine bark nuggets. The flower beds get compost and mulch, so the soil improves every year. My new project is to place vegetables and herbs among flowering plants. The bees love the flowers and herb combinations. Did you know that daylilies were originally grown in China for food? Observe hot and sour soup for tiger lily buds.

[marysue]

So inspirational! My back garden had a dying lawn choked by weeds, and after putting in raised beds I seeded the ground with clover. It's a carpet now, and the soil went from dusty dry to rich and healthy - I was super excited when I found my first worms in the dirt after a few years. And we get so many bees and butterflies.

[cvxdog]

I live in a small town and have been converting our backyard. The deer love it and for the past 8 years have decided to have their babies there. We are watching a pair of fawns graze now. They are welcomed here.

[tristinlovett]

We have a clover lawn and I absolutely love it. It always full of pollinators <3 We just got done converting several hundred square feet of our front yard to a wildflower meadow.

[PandaD]

We have a clover garden. It started by accident and then turned into a happy positive! We bought our home 4 years ago from someone who extensively sprayed pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers (like the rest of our neighbors still do). We stopped all that and moved around patches from hearty areas of the lawn to the barren and scorched areas. Let nature take its course and we now have the lushest, prettiest lawn full of white and red clover and tons of native "weeds". Our neighbors water their lawn, we don't, the lawns look pretty similar health-wise. :)

[kuiperbeltdropout]

My neighbor got sick of mowing so she planted 5 everbearing strawberry plants and let them run all over! Now she never has to mow again!!

[critterjon]

Used to work for a prairie restoration company and can remember that even during the most severe droughts the prairies where always green and lush

[legendarymudkip]

So glad you brought up native wildflowers! I live in Missouri and just recently found out that natural prairie and glade habitats are swiftly disappearing, and the insects and animals with them. Invasive species are VERY important to know, recognize, and remove, but you can of course use non-native plants that won't take over the space.

[dporter-gage]

You are speaking my language. I have always wondered, who decided a plant was a weed? Undesirable? Thank you for sharing your knowledge and support of plants.

[patiopermaculture]

I may or may not be responsible for giving my landlord a clover 🍀 problem

[yenvo]

I noticed more content that is outside of your region ( San Diego area)- so I appreciate the title letting us know it’s for cold climates. Do you have a video about lawn alternatives for warm and drought climates like San Diego ? Thanks!

[profitecturebydesign]

As a Landscape Architect, I'm LOVING this video... how about one for HOT climates? (I'm now in South Carolina, and lived in San Diego for 7 years...)

[juliaf_]

We've got a clover lawn now and it's so much greener and prettier than grass. Our city also gets water from lake Ontario so we never have water shortages, and the groundwater and evaporated water goes back to the lake, so wasting water is much less of an issue for us

[DragonflyenAmber]

I love what Chris did with her lawn! I'm not a fan of 'traditional' lawns either and I wish folks would get away from the idea that their lawn must look perfect to be acceptable.

[darrisnelson]

I used to seed about 3 of my 5 1/2 acres with a mix of red clover and creeping red fescue. They stay beautiful all year round and when they bloom it was a beautiful carpet of vivid green and red!💜

[lp]

Loved this! Thank you for normalizing a mixed lawn! Over the past 4 years I have allowed my yard to fill in with grass, clover and dandelion.

[erlindacoligado]

Beautiful. This senior had to share my experience while living in Quebec. Both my back and front garden were invaded by grubs and my beautiful lawn turn into brown mess. Then the whole backyard was full of dandelions. Initially I was getting discouraged because they grow faster than my hard work of digging. It took me 3 years to finally get rid of those pesky dandelions. Now my neighbours call my front and back "Botanical Garden" as I planted perennial flowers. I have few veggies at the back but I concentrate more on flowers. Some even take pictures when they pass by. I'm in my garden most of the day watching bees, birds, monarch butterflies and few rabbits.

[bhazleton]

I live in a neighborhood that seems to compete on who has the most perfect lawn. I hear lawnmowers going all day and evening here. I must say that it does look beautiful and it makes the neighborhood look elegant and it makes the houses look stately. However I think I may change my backyard. This is the time on the planet to start growing your own food and use water wisely.

[pinkelephants]

Lawns are effectively 'deserts' in biodiversity terms so choosing the aforementioned approach in the video, means you're not only doing your bit for biodiversity, your also attracting more pollinators to the rest of your garden, especially the vege patch, & ensuring better cropping.