A lawn doesn’t have to consist of grass. Here are six beautiful alternatives that will cover the ground and give you a green look, without the need to mow.

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Published: Wednesday, 14 August 2024 at 09:23 AM


If you like the look of an open space from a lawn, but want a flat, low, green swathe of ground cover that requires less maintenance, why not try an alternative to grass? Any low-growing plant that spreads across the ground in a tight carpet will give you openness without the need to mow. They must be evergreen to prevent interlopers getting a look-in during winter. Note that none of these plants can withstand being constantly walked on; they are purely ornamental.

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Lawn alternatives to grass

Scleranthus biflorus

Scleranthus biflorus © Gap Photos – © Gap Photos

An evergreen alpine plant from Australia that creates moss-like mounds and is hardy through most of the UK. Can cope with some light foot traffic. Prefers well-drained soil in full sun.

Zoysia matrella

A lawn of Zoysia tenuifolia or Zoysia matrella
A lawn of Zoysia tenuifolia or Zoysia matrella grass in France, designed by Jean-Laurent Felizia © GAP Photos / Clive Nichols – © GAP Photos / Clive Nichols

Generally sold as Zoysia tenuifolia, this vigorous east Asian perennial grass is used increasingly in dry, hot places such as Greece and southern Italy to create a drought-tolerant, uneven carpet of tufty green. Not fully hardy but may cope with temperatures down to -4oC – however its leaves do turn yellow in the cold. In milder climates it stays green year-round. Can cope with some shade and light footfall.

Leptinella squalida

A lawn of Leptinella squalida
A lawn of Leptinella squalida © Gap Photos / Fiona McLeod – © Gap Photos / Fiona McLeod

A hardy, ground-hugging evergreen perennial with tiny, fern-like leaves of green and sometimes bronze, and yellow button-like flowers in summer. It can cope with light foot traffic but is not drought tolerant and prefers a moist, well-drained soil in full sun or part shade.

Creeping thyme

Lawn of mixed Thyme varieties including Thymus serpyllum 'Snowdrift' and Thymus pseudolanuginosus
Lawn of mixed Thyme varieties including Thymus serpyllum ‘Snowdrift’ and Thymus pseudolanuginosus © Gap Photos – © Gap Photos

Thymes, such as white-flowered Thymus serpyllum ‘Snowdrift’ and mauve-coloured Thymus pseudolanuginosus are popular for thyme lawns, which have wonderful fragrance and often colourful flowers, too. They generally prefer drier conditions once established but won’t tolerate much foot traffic.

Corsican mint

Mentha requienii, Corsican mint
Mentha requienii, Corsican mint © Gap Photos – © Gap Photos

Mentha requienii, or Corsican mint, is a mat-forming, peppermint-scented, small-leaved, evergreen species of mint that likes moist soil and shade. Like other mints, it can spread in ideal conditions but won’t tolerate much footfall.

Mind-your-own-business

Soleirolia soleirolii
Soleirolia soleirolii © Gap Photos – © Gap Photos

Soleirolia soleiroli, better known as mind-your-own-business, is a good choice for a green cloaking ground cover in damp shade conditions where grass would struggle to grow. Evergreen and hardy except in harsh winters, it has a reputation for spreading.