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4 Herbal Lawn Alternatives

Every summer in yards throughout North America, neighbours compete over whose lawn looks greener and whose has less dandelions dotted among the blades of perfectly mowed grass. Every summer, these same people use gallons of water and often powerful chemical fertilizers and herbicides to try and create and keep the perfect lawn. The reality is we are fighting a losing battle when we try and keep our grass lawns looking green and feeling soft under foot.  In 2017, 55% of the US was in moderate to extreme drought according to the National Climatic Data Center and large portion of western Canada had the driest summer in 70 years according to Agriculture Canada. It seems then that we should look to some alternatives to the traditional grass lawn. So lets look at some herbs that could work better than grass!

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Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)yarrow

Yarrow’s soft, feathery leaves make it an excellent alternative to grass and it is what I currently have in my yard. It is super soft under foot and has the added benefit of being a dynamic accumulator which means it is excellent for building nutrients in areas with poor soil. It is also drought tolerant, easy to mow and hardy in zones 3-10.   From personal experience stands up to high traffic (I have 2 kids and 3 dogs running round on it!) and comes back well from BC southern interior winters. I like to mow the yarrow lawn and let the plants grow around the edges of my yard. This allows the beautifully fragrant, tiny flowers to bloom throughout the summer, attracting bees and other beneficial bugs. It is a bitter, astringent, a styptic, a diaphoretic and the flowers make an excellent mosquito repellant making it an extremely useful plant to have on hand. Yarrow grows well from seed but the easiest way to propagate is by division.

Creeping Thyme (Thymus sp.)

thymeCreeping thyme has many different varieties from slow and fast growing cultivars to varieties with carpets of stunning flowers in varying colours from deep purples to whites and rose coloured blooms. It is hardy from zones 4-9, although this depends on the variety, and it grows to around 2″ in height making this an excellent no-mow, low maintenance option for your lawn. Creeping thyme is interchangeable with English Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and therefore can be used for both culinary and medicinal purposes, however harvesting the tiny stems is way more time consuming. The beautiful fragrance depends on the variety and ranges from lemon to orange, lime, caraway,  lavender and even nutmeg scented leaves.  It can handle light traffic and is drought resistant. It prefers a sunny, well drained location and can be propagated by division or layering.

White Clover (Trifolium repens)clover

Clover is a nitrogen fixer that helps improve soil fertility over time so is excellent for areas with poor soil. White clover, also known as Dutch clover, has been seen as a weed to remove from grass lawns for many years but has now become a popular solution for those folks who are looking to move away from grass. It is drought and shade tolerant making it a good choice for shady areas under trees where grass doesn’t grow so well. The leaves are edible and can be harvested before flowering and eaten raw or cooked like spinach. It can handle medium traffic and it grows to around 4 inches in height and mows well.  If you don’t mow, the flowers will attract bees and butterflies to your yard. Clover grows well from seed however to keep your clover lawn looking really good you may need to reseed every few years. In the last few years micro clover, which is a cultivar of white clover,  has become a very popular choice for lawns. Micro clover can be mowed shorter than most grasses and stands up to repeated traffic better than standard white clover. It is also a much more affordable plant to use for larger areas as it grows easily from seed. Clover is hardy from zones 4-9.

Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

chamomileUnlike the annual German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Roman chamomile is a low growing perennial that produces daisy like flowers that can be used in the same manner. It grows 3-4 inches in height making this a good no-mow alternative to grass. When walked upon, each step imparts the distinguishable chamomile aroma but it can only handle light foot traffic. It looks beautiful planted around the edges of paths and in between flagstones in  walkways.  It is hardy in zones 4-9 and likes full sun, except in hotter climates where part shade is preferable. Chamomile is one of my favourites for soothing the digestive system and calming crazy kiddos, the flowers can be harvested and dried or used fresh for infusions and other concoctions. Chamomile is in the asteraceae and people who are allergic to other members of the daisy family may also be sensitive to chamomile so this should be taken into account when deciding on your grass alternative. Roman chamomile can be grown from seed or propagated by division.

Do you have a non-grass lawn? Tell me in the comments how it has worked out for you!

1 Comment

About Becky Starling

Becky is a mother, herbalist, Reiki practitioner and owner/creator of Cedar Hill Herbs where she creates herbal remedies and organic botanical skincare products from homegrown and ethically wildcrafted ingredients. She is also the founder and coordinator of the One World Herbal Community. Based out of the Okanagan Valley in the interior of British Columbia, she is passionate about organic gardening, inspiring and educating folks about plants and their uses and serving her community.

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  1. Kristy, Life-n-Reflection says

    April 16, 2018 at 1:23 am

    I love these ideas, I have sage on the edge of front yard that grows along the hill under the shade of oak tree.

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NEW POST 🌿✨ Farrah aka @carlisle.integrative. NEW POST 🌿✨ Farrah aka @carlisle.integrative.wellness discusses her top natural anti-inflammatories - go check it out!! #herbalist #herbalism #herbalismblog #herbalistblog #naturalhealth #naturalhealing #antiinflammatory #medicinalherbs #herbalremedies #plantmedicine
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🌿🌿 New post for our revamped website!! Check 🌿🌿 New post for our revamped website!! Check out this new article from  @northwoodherbal for how to make your own herbal ice cream!!! 🌿🌿That’s gotta help compliance right?! ⁣
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✨NEW POST ✨Farrah aka @carlisle.integrative.we ✨NEW POST ✨Farrah aka @carlisle.integrative.wellness discusses her favourite adaptogens to support resilience, something that is helpful for us all right now!! Check it out, link in bio!!! ✨🌿💚 #herbalist #herbalistblog #plantmedicine #adaptogens #adaptogenic #resilience #nature #ashwagandha #tulsi #rhodiola #eleuthero #herbalremedies #growyourownmedicine #herbalism #herbalistsofinstagram #herbalistsofig #newarticle #herbs #medicinalherbs #medicinalplants
✨ NEW POST ✨ from Farrah @carlisle.integrative ✨ NEW POST ✨ from Farrah @carlisle.integrative.wellness 🌿 Nervines are our friends right now people! Click the link in our profile to read about some of Farrah’s favourite nervines!! 🌿❤️✨#nervines .
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#natural #wellness #holistichealth #herbalism #naturalhealth #herbalist #herbs #healingplants #healthylifestyle #plantwisdom #healthy #witchesofinstagram #herbalists #naturalmedicine #holistic #herbalmedicine #naturalremedies #selfcare #changetheworld #plantmedicine #healing #health #herbalistsofinstagram #herbal #organic #inspiration #herbalremedies #apothecary
✨ NEW POST✨ Everyone is talking about microdo ✨ NEW POST✨  Everyone is talking about microdosing psychedelics lately!!
Check out our take on this emerging trend in our latest article on the One World Herbal Community Blog (link in bio) 🍄❤️✨ #herbalism #herbalist #plantmedicine #magicmushrooms #psilocybin #microdosingpsilocybin #microdosingpsychedelics #microdosing #mycology #medicinalmushrooms #mushroommedicine #herbalmedicine #herbalistblog
GIVEAWAY!!! Yarrow Willard and the good folks over GIVEAWAY!!! Yarrow Willard and the good folks over at Wild Rose College of Natural Healing are hosting an on-line Intro to Medicinal Mushrooms course starting Monday, Oct 21st, and we're giving away a free registration to 1 of the folks in our One World Herbal Community. ***Want to win??*** To enter, do this:
1- Tag *2* friends who would love to take this course
AND
2- Like both the @one_world_herbal_community and @wildrosecollege accounts -One entry counts for every 2 tags-so tag away! Winner will be chosen Friday at 12pm pacific!

Course Details for the Curious:

Who wants to dive into Medicinal Mushroom Mysteries? Join Yarrow Willard at Wild Rose College starting this October for a virtual Intro to Medicinal Mushroom course. You'll meet wild, edible and medicinal mushrooms such as west coast resihi, chanterelle, oysters (and many more!) through your inbox this fall.

Receive a new video lesson in your inbox every 2 days from ) Oct 21st-Nov 21st. Learn more about mushroom mysteries: mushroom intelligence, lore, ethnobotany, chemistry, extraction techniques, ethical harvesting along with foraging and ID tips and nature connection.

Register By: Enrolment ends Sunday, Oct 20, 2019 at midnight: https://wildrosecollege.com/intro-to-medicinal-mushrooms/
Start date: Oct 21, 2019
End date: Nov 21, 2019 (with access to video lessons for 1 year-watch & read at your own pace!)
Where: Online...on the Wood Wide Web--available to anyone with an internet connection!
Investment: $47 CDN...that’s less than 3$ per lesson!
#herbalist #herbalism #medicinalmushrooms #fungi #mycology #herbalmedicine #mushrooms #herbschool #wildrosecollege
NEW POST 🌿✨ Farrah aka @carlisle.integrative. NEW POST 🌿✨ Farrah aka @carlisle.integrative.wellness discusses her top natural anti-inflammatories - go check it out!! #herbalist #herbalism #herbalismblog #herbalistblog #naturalhealth #naturalhealing #antiinflammatory #medicinalherbs #herbalremedies #plantmedicine
NEW POST 🌿🍃🌸 @cedarhillherbs talks about NEW POST 🌿🍃🌸 @cedarhillherbs talks about her 5 favourite medicinal plants to grow in a shady garden!! Grab yourself a cup of tea and go check it out! #gardening #herbgardening #organicgardening #herbalist #herbalism #medicinalplants #medicinalherbs #herbalremedies #herbgrower #shadygarden #gardener #plantmedicine #herbblog #herbalistblog #herbalismblog
We are dreaming of warm sun and flowers here at On We are dreaming of warm sun and flowers here at One World and @radical.alchemy has written another fantastic flower-filled recipe roundup! This time is for the wonderful chamomile! Go check it out!! #chamomile #recipes #reciperoundup #herbalist #herbalism #naturalhealth #herbs #medicinalherbs #plantmedicine #herbblogger #herbalistblogger
We welcome in the New Year with a new post from @c We welcome in the New Year with a new post from @cedarhillherbs 🎉 Herb screens are one of her most used pieces of equipment in her workspace! Learn how to make one in this step by step guide! Link in profile!! #herbalist #herbalism #howtoguide #herbgrower #herbfarmer #gardening #herbscreen #herbprocessing #cuttingandsifting #herbalmedicine #herbalremedies #plantmedicine #herbalistblog #herbalistblogger #herbblog #herbblogger
October’s recipe roundup from @radical.alchemy f October’s recipe roundup from @radical.alchemy features the mystical mugwort! Click the link in our profile to read!! #recipes #reciperoundup #mugwort #artemisia #artemisiavulgaris #herbalist #herbalism #naturalhealth #naturalhealing#herbblog #herbalistblog #plantfolk
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