While grass lawns look and feel great, as every homeowner knows, they require a lot of time, energy, and money to properly maintain. From spring to fall each year, Canadians spend many hours fertilizing, watering, mowing and trimming their lawns. Over a decade, the average homeowner spends hundreds of dollars on lawn equipment, water, pesticides, and other lawn-related products and services. Many people ask if there are alternatives to grass lawns or ways to reduce their lawn space without detracting from their home’s appearance and value. The answer is yes.

Having a lawn is a relatively new phenomenon in human history. Starting in the Renaissance, a mansion or manor surrounded by large grass expanses came to be regarded as a sign of wealth. European immigrants to North America equated lawns with prosperity, and passed their belief down to their children and grandchildren. In the 20th century, having a home with a yard (comprised mostly of grass) was a dream-come-true for millions of people. Today in Canada, there are approximately 13,000 square kilometres of residential lawn, an area equal to one quarter of Nova Scotia.

Despite the historical appeal of grass lawns, in the past 25 years there has been a growing landscaping trend that involves less maintenance, uses fewer resources, and is more environmentally friendly. The need in many municipalities to reduce water usage has been a major factor in this landscaping reformation. On average, 60 percent of residential water usage is for irrigating lawns and gardens. Many homeowners have adopted types of landscaping such as Xeriscaping to reduce the amount of lawn space on their property.

Alternatives to grass lawns are good not only for homeowners’ bank accounts, but for the environment as well. In Canada, gas-powered lawn machines consume 50 million gallons of fuel annually, and create 5percent of urban air pollution. Each year, Canadians apply about two million kilograms of pesticides and herbicides to their lawns. These are synthetic chemicals that contaminate the water table and negatively affect people’s health—particularly children’s.

Thankfully, there are a number of things that homeowners can do to reduce their grass lawn areas (and still have attractive landscaping). Let’s look at some of the options.

Ground cover plants
There are many types of ground cover plants that are good alternatives to grass lawns. Ground cover plants help reduce soil erosion, come in a variety of colours and textures, and act as a visual bridge between flower gardens and lawn areas. Ground cover plants are particularly good in areas where mowing and watering are difficult.

Clover
The little green plant that is synonymous with Ireland and good luck is a great alternative to grass. Prior to the 1950s, clover was regarded as a useful lawn plant, and was mixed with grass seed. Compared to grass, clover costs less, requires no fertilizer, and is free of weeds and pests (no herbicides or pesticides needed). Clover is soft to walk on, puts nitrogen in the soil (thanks to helpful bacteria living in nodes on the roots), and aerates the ground (no need to worry about soil compaction). It is drought-resistant, requires little mowing, and does not discolour due to dog urine. Clover has great aesthetic value, and remains green all summer. Dutch White clover is best suited for lawns.

Xeriscaping
In the semi-arid desert region of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and other areas of Canada where global warming has resulted in long, hot summers with little rain, xeriscaping has become increasingly popular in the past 10+ years. Xeriscaping is a type of landscaping that uses smaller areas of lawn combined with plants that require significantly less water than grass. Areas around the home that are well suited to xeriscaping include narrow strips between sidewalks and curbs; steep slopes where mowing is impractical; hot, dry areas along west and south exposures of fences and walls; and shaded areas.

The eight fundamentals of xeriscaping are:

- Plan and design the landscaping for water conservation and beauty.
- Create lawn areas of manageable sizes, shapes, and appropriate grasses.
- Use organic soil additives such as compost or manure, as required.
- Cluster together plants with similar water requirements.
- Include plants that require little water.
- Use woodchips and other types of mulches to reduce evaporation and keep the soil cool.
- Irrigate efficiently by applying the right amount of water to plants at the appropriate time, and by using properly designed irrigation systems.
- Maintain the landscape by cutting, trimming, weeding, etc.

Visit your local garden centre to find out which types of plants require less water than grass and are well suited to your region and its climate.

Rocks and glass
Some homeowners reduce their lawn space with attractive boulders and/or rock gardens. Other areas on your property that can be landscaped using rocks/stones include the area between the driveway edge and the fence or hedge line. A newer product used in such areas is coloured glass gravel, which is recycled, broken glass that has been tumbled in sand to remove the sharp edges. During the day or under a full moon, glass gravel adds visual appeal. Some landscapers use black glass gravel and green plant mulch in low-traffic lawn areas.

Water garden
Building a water garden in your yard is a great way to reduce the amount of lawn to mow. Real estate studies have shown that an attractive water garden increases the value of a property. If you’re not inclined to do the work yourself, use an experienced contractor. Water plants such as swamp hibiscus, water hyacinth, variegated sweet flag, and water lettuce will make your water garden more attractive, as will goldfish or koi. A small fountain or waterfall also adds to the soothing effect of a water garden.

How does a homeowner get information about alternatives to grass lawns? Sources include the Internet, the local library, and garden centres. Once you’ve done your research, create a design that suits your tastes or hire an experienced landscaper to help you create one. Soon you’ll be enjoying more leisure time and fewer lawn-related expenses!