My first lawn-replacement project. The combo of clover and Sedum sarmentosum looked great – for about a year.
Back in 2007 I started experimenting with other groundcovers – to replace a tiny front lawn and also a 1,000-sf back lawn on a slope. I ditched my lawns for two very selfish reasons – because lawn mowing was a hassle I didn’t enjoy, especially on the hillside, and experimenting with alternatives would be super-fun to blog about!
Above you see my 10,000-sf lawn replacement on a slope, with fast-spreading Sedum sarmentosum that grows like a weed around here, and seeds of Dutch white clover. I loved it! But by the second year, the clover had used its greater height to smother and kill the poor sedum, the clover attracted deer from near and far, and in the winter it was dormant and really bad at slowing down stormwater.
Above, the small oval former lawn that I planted with Stepables, and reported my findings here – none of those plants made it into this list of best-performers.
(I’ve written about 22 articles about lawn replacements and better lawn care, which I’m collecting here in one spot, with updates.)
So for the lawn-reduction-curious, I’ve listed here my best-performing groundcovers because at least here in the East where we have plenty of rain (still), bare ground must be covered or it’ll be quickly covered by weeds, mostly ones you don’t want. So success in lawn reduction and even more so in whole-lawn replacement depends on finding great plants for your particular site.
My particular site is in the DC area, hardiness zone 7B. After a whole lotta experimentation over these 17 years, I’ve had lots of failure but hey, it’s research! Here’s what’s worked, with some caveats and admitted failures.
In Sunny Spots
My all-time favorite for spots with a few hours of sun and no foot traffic is the 3-4″ Sedum takesimense. All my garden visitors love the look, it performs perfectly, fills in enough to prevent weeds, and because it’s a succulent, I don’t have to water it, ever. It’s even mostly evergreen, at least covering the ground all year – a quality I think real groundcovers should all have.
Despite all that, I’ve never seen it sold in a store or a catalogue and I can’t figure that out. I’m lucky that Green Roof Plants owner Ed Snodgrass gave me a flat of it years ago, and since then it’s been successful for me in three gardens.
Above, more of the Sedum, this time combined with squares of dwarf mondo grass (far too slow-growing for me to recommend it) and some creeping Jenny in the cracks.
Sunny or Shady Spots
Speaking of Creeping Jenny, it thrives in shade and will survive in sun if watered during hot/dry periods (otherwise it’ll die in spots). Plus, its chartreuse leaves brighten any spot in the garden.
But there are two important but challenging spots in my garden where creeping Jenny is doing a better job than any other plant I’ve tried. First, in between flag stones on a slope, as in the photo above. Is there any other plant short enough for walkways AND capable of being stepped on occasionally without harm? I tried just mulching between the flagstones but strong rains would send it all downhill. It’s even evergreen – in a less than perfect way but still, it covers the ground all year.
The other challenging spot I’m using creeping Jenny is for pathways among the shrubs and perennials in my borders. It’s soooo short and shallow-rooted, it interferes with none of the nearby plants, and I can walk on it. I cover other bare spots in my borders with wood chips.
I’m also a fan of Dwarf Comfrey (Symphytum grandiflorum) for any amount of sun or shade. NC State says “It is best grown in a location providing full sun to part shade” but in my garden it’s fine with no direct sun at all. And in afternoon sun it needs some supplemental watering to get through hot/dry periods.
Interestingly, I learned that it’s popular in edible forest gardens and here’s why: “Called an accumulator, this plant gathers and stores nutrients from the soil that are in a more bioavailable form. It can then be used as a fertilizer when added to a compost pile.” And it’s evergreen, covering the ground all year long.
And here’s one more item from NC State, about its wildlife value: “It is pollinated by bumblebees, honey bees, and mason bees.” Well, the pollinator-counters in my garden would call that a huge understatement because it’s the single-most pollinator-covered plant I’ve ever seen in a spring garden, and its blooms last weeks and weeks, during which I spend hours sitting near them just so I can enjoy the buzz.
On the down side, and I finally found one, it’s one of those groundcovers that spreads accommodatingly…until you notice it’s crowding out some plants you’d like to keep alive. So having learned my lesson, I’m growing less of it and only where I can keep an eye on the stuff. Unlike periwinkle, which also proved to be too thuggish in borders, this one I’ll keep enough of to enjoy in spring.
For Shade
Another aggressive spreader is a regional woodland native here in Maryland – Packera aurea (one of several common names is golden groundsel). I love its evergreen leaves, its golden 3-foot-tall blooms in spring (as long as it’s not near azaleas, which bloom at the same time and to my eyes, clash), and its habit of spreading aggressively. That vigorous growth means it covers quickly and because its roots are shallow, it’s easy-peasy to remove when it’s spread too far.
Lately I’ve been hand-watering it places that get direct sun because it’s struggling in the extreme heat and drought we’re experiencing. No biggie.
For Difficult Spots
I don’t know anyone who professes a love for Liriope, especially the creeping kind (L. picata), but it’s hard to beat its performance – filling in fast, super-drought-tolerant, no need to cut yearly (as some people do, anyway), fully evergreen, and great at both preventing weeds and sopping up stormwater. In the front yard above it replaces most of the lawn. With its thick root masses, Liriope can be divided and moved around at will. I don’t know of any plant faster at stabilizing hillsides.
Back when I was a DC Master Gardener I remember that the UDC’s study of plants for tree boxes resulted in Liriope being declared the best performer. Talk about a difficult spot!
Finally, here’s some ‘Ice Dance’ Carex, which is often mistaken for variegated Liriope. Like Liriope, it’ll tolerate being divided and planted any time, it’s evergreen, stays short, and is virtually trouble-free. Just one caveat – as drought-tolerant as it is, I’ve seen it die after long droughts where it’s growing in sunny spots.
Okay, one more caveat. Like Liriope, I’ve learned to keep Carex away from more delicate perennials. Here, used to edge an island bed, and away from direct sun, it only needs me to remove invasions into the nearby lawn about one a year. Like Liriope, when it’s grown by itself in a hell strip or urban tree box, it’s even less work.
Replacing Lawn with Garden
Well, that’s my groundcover roundup, but it takes more than a few groundcovers to replace a lawn altogether, in which case shrubs, perennials, paths, and seating can be used to turn a lawn into a garden. It’s incredibly rewarding!
Of course, it’s much easier to do this with a small yard, like the ones at the townhouse I moved into 12 years ago. In front and back, I replaced lawn with flagstone patios, small trees, shrubs, perennials, pots and vines growing on wires. Above is the front garden, where I LOVE to sit and even more so lately since I added two bird baths!
And here in the back, no lawn, just borders, a patio (off-camera) and a pathway.
Results may vary -what are yours?
If you’ve experimented with groundcovers for lawn replacement or any other situation, what were your results?
I love the dwarf mondo grass, but it doesn’t spread at all for me. Why can’t they take some of it’s non-spreading genes and insert them into all the other liriope/mondo grass varieties that are taking over my lawn!
Good information in this post.
Agree! A faster-spreading mondo would sell!
Mitchella repens is the star of my shady woodland garden. And for color Phlox divaricata. Moss grows on the footpaths interspersed with rock and tufts of carex to slow down runoff on the hills during rains. Sunny gravelly spots are covered with Sedum Mexicanum (Lemon Ball) which is evergreen unless we get zapped by a sudden (Christmas) freeze. Also golden oreganos and thymes which spread beautifully between perennials without being thugs.
I’d love to see them!
Best groundcovers in my zone 3/4 area are Woolly Thyme, Veronica whitleyii and Sedum ‘Angelina’. All three are evergreen in my climate (unusual) and thrive in full sun with no supplemental watering. To top it off all are gorgeous additions to garden and pathway edges.
sign me up as the liriope lover you never met.no mow, spreads, does beautifully under trees where a lot of plants can’t compete with tree roots. it doesn’t bloom often for me, but you cant have everything. love it. central Ky
It’s a do-er!
I am in CT, Zone 6 (but really a 5 b’cause of topography). Geranium macrorrhizum and hakonechloa are my 2 favorites for shade. They can take some sun, but not too much. Carex comes next but it can be thuggish. I have tons of lamium but it does take over, like all square-stemmed growers. OTOH, it works really well on the various hills. I also use alchemilla mollis in wide swaths in the shade but have learned to deadhead it so it doesn’t see around. I’m with you on the sedum takesimense which I got years ago at White Flower Farm when I worked there.
Great post.Didnt know deer liked clover. I actually wanted something for them to eat,that wouldn’t attract other critters! I live in a subdivision that backs up to woods,that cannot be built on. I love seeing them pass by,looking for food. 5 together is most ive seen. A week ago they had 2 fawns! Also liked the woodland ground. I’ll try it.
Yeah, my geranium can’t take the hot sun AT ALL, I’m learning.
One of my favorite ground covers which I never see used in gardens is Paxistima canbyi. A broad leaf evergreen which grows in full sun or part shade, hardy to at least the old zone 5. It is native to the southern Appalachian mountains.Cuttings root easily but it is uncommon in nurseries. The unfortunate common name of rat stripper might have something to do with that.
Never seen it or heard of it ever! Thx for the info.
A very helpful article. But I have to note that here in northern Connecticut Z5b/6a, creeping jenny has been listed as an invasive plant. Not sure why – I’ve had it for years, it spreads slowly, and I’ve never seen it outside of cultivated areas. Thyme does really well, as do the little sedums.
Thank you for this very interesting post. I replaced a small front lawn with vinca about 30 years ago. This was before we were thinking of lawn replacement, just a response to a shady spot overrun with Norway maple roots from the street trees where a lawn could not flourish. It’s an area surrounded by landscape timbers, so the vinca hasn’t escaped. It’s done really well over the years and saved me lots of trouble. And it covers the ground all year round. not the ground cover I choose today, but luckily it worked.
In spots where it can’t escape, vinca can perform really well.
I agree that creeping Jenny is a real creep—err, thug. You may think you cut it back, but if any roots remain , it’s back!!! The geranium Macrorrhizum is excellent for me in Zone 5B, and I do like Lambs Ear, though I can’t abide their flowers. Lady’s Mantle is excellent if it’s sheared after flowering. And there is a small leaf Lady’s Mantle I grew from seed (from Hazzard’s Seeds), which is problem free.
Illinois 6a. My favorite ground cover is Iberis (candy tuft). It’s over growing the Sedum it abuts, probably because it is a little taller. Medium rate spreader but I doubt it could take being trod upon. White carpet in late spring and evergreen the rest of the year.
Phlox stolonifera is a favorite for part sun/part shade and phlox subulata is a total winner for full sun, dry locations. Both are evergreen and dense anough that there are few weeds. An occasional haircut is all that’s needed.
Snow flurry aster and aster dumosas ‘Wood’s Pink’ (or Blue, Purple) other great ones. The Woods asters especially spread to fill in bare spots without being too agressive.
In part shade to shade when you’re totally sick of liriope, Iris cristata is fantastic. The vegetation is gorgeous after blooming although in heat waves and droughts it will suffer if not watered. Blue eyed grass, especially the Suwannee cultivar, will let you say goodbye to liriope in part to full sun.
Susan, this is such a great post for so many reasons, but the biggest one is because you are continuing to UPDATE readers with what’s working and what is not. Which is sadly lacking in so much garden media now. It’s all about now. And now is all about what is new.
As for the Sedum takesimense, perhaps you’re not seeing it because it’s not branded and there’s no royalty money to be made. 🙂 — wickedly yours, MW
I love Galium odoratum (Sweet Woodruff). I have it in dry full shade beneath Leyland cyprus; and also on the dry shade side of a huge Dawn Redwood. It’s evergreen, spreads very politely, and is only 4-6 inches tall. It is very effective at choking out weeds. It’s so beautiful in the spring with its carpet of small white flowers. Even with the extreme heat and drought we’re having in northern Virginia this year, it’s doing fine with no supplemental water.
Great post and comments! Thanks for sharing. I’m also a ground cover tester. Zone 6a, mid-Michigan. Always looking for one that’s well behaved and does well in part shade. Let’s not forget about using evergreens as a groundcover. For the past three years I’ve been planting Siberian Cypress, Celtic Pride® (Microbiota decussata) in areas where I’ve been just mulching. So far they are doing great. Spreading along the ground and only reaching 6 – 8″ tall.
Instead of creeping jenny for spots that take occasional foot traffic, for sun try short thymes (eg ‘Elfin’), for part shade try leptinellas (eg ‘Platts Black’) and for shade try hernaria glabra (eg ‘Sea Foam’). All are evergreen in zone 7.
Why recommend non native, invasive species? We need more gardeners to promote and talk about the benefits of native plants.
Liriope will withstand “watering” by the neighborhood dogs like no other plant. I’ve had the variegated liriope planted as a protecting border around my hell strip garden and it looks great year-round with no work, other than a late winter clipping.
Thanks for the info about dog-watering! Another benefit.
Seems little thought given to what local soils need planted into them. Weeding for hours is a great teacher. Wide variety of root depths, root webbing, root chemicals, root scents, root colors, root diameters, etc. Am I a root nerd? Someone has to be !
Weeds/Soil are beginning of biome for animals, insects, fungi, trees, humans, water management, etc.
I see some of your plant choices in the pics, and think of migrating butterflies needing specific nectar sources. “Die”, we say to them?
Studying historic gardens across Europe for decades, their historic lawns taught much. God’s plan evident, animal husbandry evident, modern ideas evident.
This was the 80’s/90’s mostly.
Since that era, seems many of those ‘lawns’ I studied transitioned to the USA debacle, mow/blow/fertilize/chemicals/choosing plants/groundcovers pretty to humans. What could go wrong?
“Why recommend non native, invasive species?”, Nikki, July 28, 2024 at 7:20 am .
I have a variety of creeping thyme in one lawn area and Dutch white clove, ajuga, wild violets, and lawn in another.
So many suggestions – thanks to everyone! Good to know there are SO many options.
Live in northern Virginia. Liriope is a lifesaver.. Wonderful and hearty and has survived this dry hot summer.. I do have a sprinkler system and have had to water by hose this summer though. Someone mentioned ajuga which I have tried in the past but the bees love it!! Just too many bees for me. It is hearty tho.