Best Drought Tolerant Lawn Grass Alternatives
With temperatures rising in many places, turf season has officially begun, and a fight looms ahead to keep the grass from turning brown in the summer heat. With drought restricting water use in some form in many areas, our yards tend to suffer, conserving water for more important things. But there is growing interest in drought tolerant or drought tolerant lawn alternatives to get a yard that can be used without using all that water.
Is a drought tolerant lawn right for you?
The first thing to consider when replacing your grass turf with drought and drought tolerant plants is how you plan to use the space. If you want to have a barbecue and use your yard for play, sports, or harvesting, you’ll need a step-resistant plant. If you’re more interested in the visual appeal of the space, you can choose from a variety of flowering or evergreen plants that will stay beautiful in hot, dry summer weather.
You can also choose a patio area and leave the plants for the borders, depending on your preference – creating a patio area with fine gravel, flagstone or crushed granite requires no water at all.
Keep in mind that drought -tolerant plants are adapted to and will thrive in dry conditions; drought -tolerant plants will survive better than greedy ones, but they need some water. Depending on where you live and growing conditions, you must determine which varieties are best for you.
An alternative to drought tolerant lawn
For drought-tolerant ground cover that can be walked on, creeping thyme , sedum and summer snow cover are commonly chosen. They are all easy to grow, although they will need to be germinated indoors to grow from seed.
There are also more colorful ground cover options that will withstand foot traffic and are affordable. Herniaria Glabra is a choice that will give you a green, carpet-like lawn in summer and turn red in winter. It is a short, creeping plant with deep roots, making it very drought tolerant. The Turkish Veronica is also an option, although it is only tolerant of occasional foot traffic. It is drought tolerant and stays low, making mowing unnecessary.
An alternative to drought tolerant lawn
One popular drought tolerant groundcover that can be walked on is clover , which comes in a wide variety of leaf colors and sizes. Clover can be cut just like grass, or you can find varieties that will stay low to the ground.
Another easy and affordable alternative to an evergreen lawn is Roman chamomile . It is drought tolerant and does not need much water, stays low to the ground, and can be cut and separated. As a tenacious low growing vine, trailing wirevine can be used for high traffic areas and will remain green even in dry conditions.
Other hardy plants to consider
If you don’t have to walk where you’re replacing the grass, there are plenty of opportunities for plants to keep their color and survive hot, dry weather. Cacti, succulents, and native wildflowers will survive the summer well. To make sure you’re on the right track, check with your local university’s horticultural department, park department, or horticultural club. Getting advice from locals is a good way to make sure you’re choosing plants that will thrive in your particular weather conditions, and you can also get some helpful care tips.