A garden is a beautiful thing - if only it wasn't so much work. Lawn care in particular is time-consuming. But you don't even have to sow the lawn. There are also some alternatives.
You design the garden the way you like it. But the aspect of time should not be ignored either. If you only use your garden a little, you don't want to have to work a lot in it in the short amount of time. That means it should be as easy to maintain as possible.
Many people think that when they sow grass in their garden, they make it easy for themselves. But they do a lot of work with it. After all, the lawn must be mowed and fertilized regularly. It also needs to be aerated and scarified from time to time. Not regularly, but when it does it means a lot of work. And then of course there is the raking of leaves in autumn. You can save yourself this work if you decide on one or more alternatives to lawn.
Pretty and low-maintenance alternatives to lawns
❖ Gravel & Paving:
Good alternatives to lawns include coverings such as gravel and paving. Of course, the covering must match the garden and the ambience. But the size of the garden is also important. Of course, a 300 square meter garden mainly made of gravel or paving does not look pretty. Gravel and paving are therefore more suitable for small gardens, rarely used garden areas or verges that should be as easy to care for as possible. You can still add green accents to your gravel bed with grasses, reeds or boxwood balls.
Tip:
If you lay a weed fleece under the covering, then not even that will get through and the work will be reduced even more.
❖ Mulch:
Even bark mulch is a great alternative to lawns, as it's not only easy to maintain but also pretty to look at. It looks especially nice when you work with different colored mulch. If you then also create patterns, the former lawn becomes a real eye-catcher in the garden.
It is important with this lawn replacement that you lay a weed fleece before applying the mulch. So it has no chance of making its way throughto clear the mulch.
❖ Ground cover:
Groundcovers are perfect as a lawn substitute, as they also grow where lawns usually only thrive poorly. They also branch well and usually give off a wonderful scent in the garden. As a lawn substitute, however, the ground cover must be hardy and hardy and must not lose its leaves in winter. Hardy varieties are for example:
- Star Moss
- Pennyroyal
- Thyme
- Roman Chamomile
- Feather Pads
Nevertheless, it should be said that you should only choose ground cover if you want to replace an area of decorative lawn with it. If you have a dog and children who like to romp in the garden, then ground covers are rather unsuitable. If, on the other hand, you only want to step on the lawn replacement from time to time, then it is perfect for your garden.
Hint:
To prevent walkways from forming over time, it's best to lay stepping stones as a path. Of course, you can also create a different garden path. You can find a few ideas for this in our article Designing garden paths: 22 creative examples.
As far as maintenance is concerned, you don't have to invest a lot of time here. The lawn mower can actually remain in the garden shed. You only have to get this out if the ground cover has become too high. Then raise the lawnmower blades and trim the plants a little. Otherwise, all you have to do is water the ground cover regularly. Just like lawn. At the beginning, shortly after planting, you will of course have to pull some weeds. However, once the ground cover has spread, weeds don't stand a chance.