Unless you moved into a gardenless high-rise flat, when you bought your home, the landscape garden was probably one of the considerations.
Whether you’ve got a shared ownership home in London with a small garden that’s the perfect blank canvas or you inherited a large house in the countryside with an already established garden, you’ve more than likely had plans for your outside space that may or may not have included grass.
While some homeowners covet a manicured stripy lawn that goes on for miles, others want something a bit less high maintenance and wish No Mow May was every month.
If you’re in the latter category, this post is for you, because we’re going to look at 5 alternatives to grass in your garden.
A wildflower meadow
Wildflower meadows are fashionable right now and they’re great for lazy gardeners who don’t want to do any gardening and need an excuse for their garden to look untidy.
Unfortunately, cultivating a wildflower meadow isn’t as easy as simply scattering a packet of seeds over your lawn and waiting for flowers to appear.
As wild as wildflower meadows look, you actually have to make a bit of effort. Admittedly, this effort can be as effortless as buying a mat of already established young plants and paying someone to install it for you.
Alternatively, if you don’t mind a bit of getting dirty yourself, you can prepare the soil before sowing the seeds or planting plant plugs.
If you do go down the wildflower meadow route, you’ll be rewarded with a burst of colour each summer and the bees and butterflies will love you.
Decking
Decking is perfect for the party host – it’s hard-wearing and level, making it the perfect base for chairs, tables, BBQs, DJ decks or even a hot tub.
Decking paint comes in lots of colours to suit your personality but decking does need re-oiling each year to keep it in tip-top condition. Still, it’s a lot easier than mowing the lawn every week.
Gravel
Gravel is great for homeowners who want a smart, sleek, streamlined look to their garden. Put down some landscaping fabric (that’s that black cloth stuff you put down to stop the weeds coming through) and cover it with any colour gravel of your choice. Or mix up your colours in a funky design and get as imaginative as you like.
Bark
Bark is similar to gravel, in that you cover the ground with landscaping fabric and then dump the bark on top. Bark is a lot softer – on the eye and underfoot than gravel though, so it’s perfect for people who like a natural look. Bark has a tendency to escape onto the path, so edge it with something natural like sleepers or logs.
If an eco-friendly home is your thing, make sure you find bark that’s FSC approved to ensure it comes from a sustainable source.
Artificial grass
Artificial grass is for those gardens owned by people who love grass but hate mowing. Forget about the days of astroturfed football pitches and playgrounds – these days artificial grass can almost be as realistic as the real thing.
Artificial grass comes in a range of styles and is easy to install and maintain. It’s also great for those with children and/or pets as they won’t be coming in with muddy feet or paws.
As you can see, there are lots of options for your garden if you want to avoid grass. And, of course, there’s nothing to stop you from combining any of the above to create the perfect outside space for you.
