Looking for a low-maintenance, beautiful, soft underfoot lawn? It’s time to consider no-mow lawn alternatives for your backyard! With easy planting and barely any care necessary, a native violet or dichondra lawn is the perfect grass substitute.
Nothing says welcome quite like a green carpet of grass (faux or real) and colourful fringes of blooms. Bare patches of turf, however, and dead or dying plants aren’t ideal. This may be due to neglect, or an insect or fungal attack.
But most likely, it’s because the area isn’t receiving enough sunlight. If the soil is well-nourished, there are alternatives that can make your garden a showstopper.
Alternatives to a grass lawn
Groundcovers that love shade and look as impressive as a beautiful, manicured lawn include:
- Kidney weed (Dichondra repens)
- Native violet (Viola hederacea)
- White or blue star creeper (Pratia sp.)
- Bugleweed (Ajuga sp.)
- Scotch moss (Sagina subulata)
- English ivy (Hedera helix)
- Thyme (Thymus sp.)
- Clover (Trifolium)
- Grevillea
Easy steps to create your dichondra lawn
Replace your tatty or artificial turf with a pretty, easy-to-grow lawn alternative, like this native groundcover. With no mowing and no care necessary, what’s not to love?
Watch Charlie plant a no-mow lawn
Gather your supplies
- Potting mix
- Compost
- Hose-on liquid soil soaker
- Interlocking garden edging
- Eucy mulch
- Pavers
- Mortar mix
- Kidney weed (140mm pots)
- Root tonic
You’ll also need
- Tape measure
- Shovel
- Rake
- Sponge
- Rubber mallet
- Trowel
- Level
- Plants for bed
- Utility knife
- Spade
- Mattock
Step 1
Measure the area and order enough kidney weed to grow 25-30cm apart (or to fit your budget).
Step 2
Use spade and mattock to remove living lawn. Or use utility knife to cut up an artificial lawn, pull up, then remove road base with shovel. Add and dig over new potting mix and compost. Rake level and apply hose-on soil soaker.
Step 3
Install curved metal edging to separate ‘lawn’ and bed areas with mallet. Plant bed plants and top with eucy mulch.
Step 4
Prepare mortar mix with water and shovel. Install paver stepping stones on a level surface with mortar mix, then tap down till level with rubber mallet. Haunch edges; wipe off pavers with wet sponge.
Step 5
Lay out kidney weed, then dig holes as deep as root balls and twice as wide. Space every 25-30cm.
Step 6
Remove kidney weed from pots, put in holes so top of root ball is level with soil line, then backfill the hole and gently press in.
Step 7
Immediately water thoroughly with hose. Keep moist for 2 weeks with daily watering until established.
Step 8
Add root tonic to kidney weed every 2 weeks. Monitor boundaries to prevent plants from jumping borders. Trim edges with garden scissors.
Tips for a successful dichondra lawn
- Plant a minimum of one 140mm kidney weed plant to cover area of 1 roll of turf.
- When staggered at 25-30cm intervals, allow 6-8 weeks for the plants to join up for a full ‘lawn’ look.
- Kidney weed will tolerate light foot traffic, but stepping stones are best for high traffic areas.
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