Knowledgebase
Grass Lawn Alternatives #872020
Asked June 07, 2024, 10:22 AM EDT
I live in the greater Detroit area, and I am looking for some low maintenance lawn alternatives/ ground covers to replace the grass in my yard.
There isn’t much foot traffic (no pets/ kids), there is some shade/ tree cover but it is mostly sunny, ideally there would be little to no mowing involved, and wouldn’t require too much additional watering.
I have heard of people using clover, yarrow, sedges, and fescues, but I wasn't sure how successful they might be in my area. Clover is less ideal because it is not native to the US. I have also seen people create flower gardens, but I’m not sure if I would like my entire lawn to be a garden.
I’ve also heard that some alternative lawns can be really bad for ragweed/seasonal allergies, is that correct?
Thank you for your input!
Oakland County Michigan
Expert Response
Rather than give you a limited list of specific plants, I'd rather give you links to articles on alternatives to turf and recommended native plant lists for you to read and bookmark when desired:
Groundcover Alternatives to Turf-MSU
https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/canr/cooperative-extension/fact-sheets/turf-grass-madness-reasons-to-reduce-the-lawn-in-your-landscape/
https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/2023/06/23/select-ground-covers-for-your-landscape-carefully/
Invite Pollinators By Creating a Habitat-SG-MSU
https://mdflora.org/publications/gardenersguidelines/gguides.html
https://www.canr.msu.edu/home_gardening/uploads/files/Using_Native_Plants_2024-04-25_AA.pdf
Native MI plant lists-MSU
Native Grasses & Sedges-Lafayette
Native Plants & Insects-MSUEs
Native Plants for MI Landscapes-Shrubs
Minnesota Wildflowers-MN
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/alternatives-to-lawn-groundcovers/
https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/2022/11/16/what-are-some-low-maintenance-groundcovers-to-replace-a-turf-lawn/
Some suggestions: Put in several different ground covers, that flower at different times and grow at different heights in several areas of your yard for variety. Create islands in the sea(s) of groundcover where you put shrubs, grasses, hostas and/or flowers as eye-catchers at various times of the year. If you are replacing the whole lawn consider leaving a strip of turf along the driveway and along the sidewalk to not shock the neighborhood too much with your conversion.
Books you could read include: Landscaping with Native Plants of Michigan by Lynn M. Steiner, Native Plants of the Midwest by Alan Branhagen and The Gardener's Guide to Prairie Plants by Neil Diboll & Hilary Cox.
You can also contact Prairie Moon Nursery (prairie moon.com) and Prairie Nursery (prairienursery.com) to get their catalogs as both sell a variety of native plants & seed mixes. They also have good instructions on proper site preparation and seeding steps. Other more local seed/plant sources include Michigan Wildflower Farm (michiganwildflowerfarm.com), Wildtypes (wildtypeplants.com) and East Michigan Native Plants (eastmichnatives.com). MSU Extension does not endorse any retailers or brands.
Not being trained in medicine, comments on allergies to pollen are best left to the medical profession. Here is an article from U Rochester medical Center:
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=88&contentid=p124635
