It’s no secret we’re not huge lawn fans at Epic Gardening – I don’t have one in my yard, @Jacques in the Garden doesn’t in his, and Chris DOES have a lawn…that she created herself and that includes NO turf grass, while providing all of the traditional benefits of a lawn space. In this video she’ll go over 3 different alternatives for those of you in colder climates.
00:00 – Intro
01:08 – Benefits Of Covering The Ground
01:53 – 1. Cover Crop
03:43 – 2. Low-growing Perennials
07:13 – 3. Turfgrass Lawn Alternative
10:35 – Outro
IN THIS VIDEO
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→ GardenStraw: https://bit.ly/3O4XlS1
Available from many seed providers:
→ Buckwheat
→ Borage
→ Sweet alyssum
→ Winter field peas
→ Native wildflower seeds (buy from a local source)
→ Clover (Microclover, Red clover, Crimson clover, White Dutch clover)
→ Self heal
→ Chamomile
→ Yarrow
Perennial ground covers available from most garden centres:
→ Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina)
→ Mediterranean creeping thyme (Thymus longicaulis)
→ Creeping thyme, multiple species and varieties of Thymus praecox and Thymus serpyllum
→ Wooly thyme (Thymus praecox subs. britannicus)
→ Alpine Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
→ Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)
→ Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
→ Redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana)
→Wild ginger (Asarum canadense)
→ Bulbs: Crocus, Galanthus (snowdrops), Fritillaria, Narcissus (daffodil)
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Epic Gardening occasionally links to goods or services offered by vendors to help you find the best products to care for plants. Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if items are purchased. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. More info on our process: https://www.epicgardening.com/disclaimer/
Full list of all of Chris' lawn alternative suggestions:
→ GardenStraw: https://bit.ly/3O4XlS1
Available from many seed providers:
→ Buckwheat
→ Borage
→ Sweet alyssum
→ Winter field peas
→ Native wildflower seeds (buy from a local source)
→ Clover (Microclover, Red clover, Crimson clover, White Dutch clover)
→ Self heal
→ Chamomile
→ Yarrow
Perennial ground covers available from most garden centres:
→ Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina)
→ Mediterranean creeping thyme (Thymus longicaulis)
→ Creeping thyme, multiple species and varieties of Thymus praecox and Thymus serpyllum
→ Wooly thyme (Thymus praecox subs. britannicus)
→ Alpine Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
→ Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)
→ Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
→ Redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana)
→Wild ginger (Asarum canadense)
→ Bulbs: Crocus, Galanthus (snowdrops), Fritillaria, Narcissus (daffodil)
We have a clover garden. It started by accident and then turned into a happy positive! We bought our home 4 years ago from someone who extensively sprayed pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers (like the rest of our neighbors still do). We stopped all that and moved around patches from hearty areas of the lawn to the barren and scorched areas. Let nature take its course and we now have the lushest, prettiest lawn full of white and red clover and tons of native "weeds". Our neighbors water their lawn, we don't, the lawns look pretty similar health-wise. 🙂
Do you have a video providing a list of ways to subversively convince your HOA that looking like a 1950's sub development is not the end-all, be-all to how a lawn can look?
I love her yard! Goals!!
Chris has a lush paradise going on. I love seeing all of those massive and colorful flower spikes! I can't wait to have some of my own in my garden.
Never understood why people want a lawn when they can grow their own produce? Just seems like a waste of space to me? Imagine a world where every person that had a lawn grew their own fruit/veg? Oh…but I can only dream!
I have seen more houses in my area. That have tons of ground covered plants, or a mix of lawn and ground cover. It looks so good. So much color you can play with. So attractive.
The struggle I have is getting over the stigma of “that’s a weed!” I want a constant and consistent plant/grass for my lawn!
Living in North Vancouver myself, Chris’ insight is so very helpful. Our short growing season and brutal rain really makes it hard to relate to others who live in more forgiving climate zones. Love her stuff
We just moved to the south central Oregon coast (Coos County). Our town is a bit further south of Coos Bay & warmer. But, our yard is also partially surrounded by
Mature pine trees, rhododendrons and other large plants and our home, creating shady areas where lawn has not grown & turned into mud a lot of the time because of all of the rain we get. Even shady grass mix doesn’t do much. Any suggestions beyond pavers or rock that may be nice in what is the rest of a lovely green yard full of various plantings. Thanks for your channel, I really learn a lot & enjoy watching it.
The typical “weeds” are still weeds to me lol. Cover crops are dedicated to just the areas where I want to grow productive plants like fruits and veggies. Personally hate seeing weeds in lawns but I know this isn’t an opinion everybody has. To each their own but I will continue to spend money to maintain a glorious green lawn that runs up next to my veggie garden.
Thanks for this. My backyard in 5b is semi-shaded under a huge 80 year old locust tree that we’d never want to get rid of — consequentially, our “lawn” is about half “weeds” that you mentioned. I always stress about the thought of how much work it would be to “fix” the yard, but I really like your more natural style and it’s given me some new ideas to chew on!
Finally seeing Chris’ garden…
false advertising. Zone 8+ is not a cold climate
I left my weeds alone, also seeded clover and lawn seeds into weed patch. The main thing was regular mowing on higher end of spectrum. That way the patch was high enough to keep itself shaded from sun but the stronger weeds did not have a chance to bulk up and shade out other seeds. I also wait on mowing when I see the weeds I like making seeds. Like when dandelions become white and fluffy in may, I wait for them to spread the seeds and mow after. It took me 4 years to go from bare dirt and rocks patch to green lawn. But this method makes sure I do not need any fertilisers or watering. The wild weeds are resilient and get back on their feet no matter what negligence.
I also started this method in my farm where there are terrible weeds and clay soil. I keep it low by mowing and the second year the patch that is mowed looks much better (more like lawn) than the patch that is trimmed twice a year.
Edit: this is in zone 4 and with climate on rainy side, except a dry as bone month here and there due to climate change.
Thanks Kevin!!!
Another benefit to a lot of the traditional turf grass weeds: most of them are edible and/or medicinal). Prunella, Dandelion, English Daisies, Yarrow, Chickweed, Gill Over the Ground, Plantain, Cheeses, etc… All wonderful. A heads up to folks who like clover lawns (as I do): Watch out for buttercups and hawkweed. Buttercups will drive legumes from a yard over time, and hawkweed, although pretty, is allelopathic, suppressing anything that isn't it.
Yeah, fuck grass
I love this idea, especially the less to mow part. My yard got over-run with dandelions, creeping Charlie & wild violets from the neighbor's yard that was unsold/unrented & overgrown for a few years. The bees love it but the neighbors, one is a retired grounds keeper and the other was a landscaper, both have sprayed and grass seeded parts of my yard next to theirs. I had a beautiful carpet of moss in one corner that was poisoned, ugh. I could never sustain this without first creating a hard border of sorts as a buffer zone, to preserve my neighbors love of a pristine grass lawn and my embracing a yard full of flowering weeds.
Why is this better than a well kept lawn? This point is missing.
So inspirational! My back garden had a dying lawn choked by weeds, and after putting in raised beds I seeded the ground with clover. It's a carpet now, and the soil went from dusty dry to rich and healthy – I was super excited when I found my first worms in the dirt after a few years. And we get so many bees and butterflies.
Great ideas.
Here in sweden all lawns i've ever seen have tons of different plants mixed in with the grass, especially clover, moss, and broadleaf plantain.
My yard has a bunch of sorrel in it and I didn't know how the seeds were spread until one almost blinded me as I was looking at the pod. Personally it's my favorite because it's just so fun. The neighborhood kids find them amazing lol