Alternatives To Grass: How To Have A Yard Without A Lawn

Some people really love having a perfectly manicured and green lawn. They aren’t happy if it doesn’t look like a carpet.

Others just simply don’t have the time to landscape or just think that alternatives to grass are much more interesting.

Whatever your reasoning, there are a lot of ways to create an interesting and cozy outdoor space and not need to take care of a lawn. If you have a small outdoor space, or maybe there isn’t enough light to grow a proper lawn, then you will love some of these ideas for a grassless yard.

How will you use your yard?

What you plan to do with your yard will determine how you will decorate and what type of materials are going to work best.

For instance, if you plan on doing a lot of grilling and want to entertain guests then having a tiled area for your grill and tables is best.

For kids to be able to play outside then having a space with a sandbox or just an area with artificial turf is going to work.

And if you just want to have a tranquil garden to enjoy some plants and flowers and listen to your outdoor fountains bubbling water, then you can use gravel or mulch to line the ground.

Wildflower meadow

If there is an area of your yard that doesn’t get a lot of traffic, then having an area filled with wildflowers is a great way to keep it natural and vibrant. The upkeep on this area is minimal and only will need to have the occasional reseeding every couple of years to keep it from looking too weedy.

It doesn’t require a lot of watering and generally just whatever rainfall is enough to keep it going. With the right type of seeding, you can have different flowers bloom in different seasons to keep it interesting.

Vegetable garden

Though this is not a low maintenance idea, it is good for people who want some production out of their outdoor space. Growing vegetables will keep your family, and probably your neighbors, nourished with fresh produce that costs pennies.

You don’t need to have a lot of space to have a productive garden. Use a raised garden box to grow a ton of veggies with not too much in the way of weeding and maintenance compared to a traditional row garden.

Artificial grass

If you do love the look of a green lawn but don’t love mowing then artificial grass is a great option. This is an expensive option so it may work for you if your area is small or you just don’t get enough sunlight to grow a healthy lawn.

Another bonus is that if you have a dog it is very easy to clean up after him and he can’t dig up the grass either. Areas with a lot of foot traffic benefit from artificial grass, also since there is no wear and tear on it.