Many beautiful landscape gardens in the UK feature plenty of natural grass, but it’s not a must-have for every homeowner. While many people strive to create beautiful garden landscapes with grass, the reality is that taking care of a garden can be an unnecessary burden after a while. This has led to a recent surge in finding alternatives to grass.
If you’re looking to replace the grass on your lawn with alternative, low maintenance and eco-friendly options, then read on. DPM Design & Build have compiled a list of excellent grass alternatives.
What are the Best Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Grass Lawns?
One of the benefits of real grass is that it’s naturally environmentally-friendly. It soaks up rainwater to relieve pressure on drains, absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, supports wildlife and is 100% recyclable.
Here in the UK, grassy lawns are something many of us do well, but the reality is that maintaining a healthy, eco-friendly garden requires a lot of investment, time, energy and resources. Many professional landscaping contractors are encouraging their customers to move away from traditional grassy gardens and move towards a less stressful and care-intensive option, which still isn’t a detriment to the environment.
What can garden landscape experts like DPM Design & Build do for you, if you want to move away from traditional grass?
Ground Cover Plants
Ground covers are low-maintenance plants which don’t grow particularly tall, but sprawl across the ground over a wide area. These perennials and shrubs spread quickly and form a visually attractive and appealing alternative.
The layout of your landscape garden will determine which ground cover plants will work best for you. There are several options including:
- Flowering thyme
- Corsican mint
- Sweet woodruff
- Lily of the valley
- Roman chamomile
- Oregano
Artificial Grass
You won’t find a much more low maintenance option than artificial grass. It requires no mowing, fertilising, watering or weed prevention, and can come in numerous different variations, all of which offer a realistic grass alternative.
DPM Design & Build offer their own brand of artificial turf, Home County Grass. It features anti-stain technology which means that you’ll be able to enjoy maintenance-free gardening for years. We also buy back any cuts of 1 metre squared or bigger, at 40% of the rate paid, with the offcuts being recycled and less waste for landfill.
Read more about the benefits of artificial grass in our blog.
Creeping Thyme
If your garden is exposed to a lot of sun, and you have to spend a great deal of time watering your lawn, you may want to consider creeping thyme flowers. This plant thrives in full sun and drier soil, which also releases a beautiful aroma.
For times of heavy drought, which British summers often are, a creeping thyme carpet will fare much better than conventional grass. It will only need a minor trim once or twice a year to keep it tidy.
Clover
Another easy and hassle-free lawn alternative is clover. This plant grows very quickly, suppresses weeds and aerates your soil with its deep roots.
Newly-planted clovers require watering twice a year at most, but will need little to no watering once it’s established. This plant stays green all year round without the need for mowing or fertilising.
If you’ve been inspired by the above, then you may want to consider looking at these grass alternatives in 2021 before the winter finishes. So come springtime, you will be in a good position to turn your landscape garden into much more hassle-free and equally beautiful outdoor space.
Speak to Landscape Gardening Experts
We can also help with other low-maintenance options such as composite decking, fencing panels and SUDs-compliant resin driveways.
Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation today
