Mown lawns that cover suburbia prevent wildlife from using massive areas of land. The grass is too short to provide much shelter, the roots are too shallow to hold much water in the soil, and the lack of flowers and diversity means there is little for insects and other wildlife to eat.
Grass lawn replacements can provide an eco-friendly way to have a lawn substitute. By using a seed mix, a uniform look can be created, similar to a lawn, but with more diversity. Since lawn alternatives often grow higher than typical lawns, more animals can find shelter. Roots will grow deeper, holding soil in place and helping the lawn stay greener when regular lawns turn brown during drier times of the year. From the variety of flowers and seeds, insects, birds, and other wildlife will be able to find food. There’s also the benefit of less maintenance, since many of these lawns normally do not need to be mowed more than two times a year.
Unfortunately, the native plant options for lawn replacements are slim. I assume native plant companies would be selling native lawn replacements if they were available, so hopefully someone will be able to develop one in the future. For now, their options provide the benefit of saving time, money, and energy by not needing to be mowed as often or at all.
Here is a review of some grass lawn replacements sold by two popular native plant companies along with the conditions they will grow in. The Plant Ohio Natives (PON) recommendation is included for each option.
OPN Seed
OPN Seed is an Ohio company that mainly sells seeds for plants native to Ohio. They sell six different eco-friendly lawn alternatives.
- Bee Lawn Mix
- Clover Lawn Mix
- Flowering Lawn Mix
- Freedom Lawn I
- Freedom Lawn II
- Freedom Lawn III
Bee Lawn Mix
Requirements: At least 4 hours of sunlight per day.
Pros: Grows 6-12 inches high. Has a lot of flowers. Doesn’t need fertilizer. Contains native common selfheal and common yarrow.
Cons: Most of the species in the mix are not native to Ohio. Hard fescue, alsike clover, and creeping thyme are known to spread to natural areas. White clover is considered to be potentially invasive by the Missouri Botanical Garden.
PON recommends: Look for a seed mix that doesn’t contain white clover.
Clover Lawn Mix
Requirements: 4-6 hours of sunlight per day; I presume it could handle more than that.
Pros: Grows 6-12 inches high. Can be mowed short and will grow back.
Cons: None of the species in the mix are native to Ohio. Hard fescue and alsike clover have already spread to natural areas, and white clover is potentially invasive.
PON recommends: Look for a seed mix that doesn’t contain white clover.
Flowering Lawn Mix
Requirements: Full sun and well-drained soils.
Pros: Includes two native grass species and eight native wildflower species. An abundance of annual flowers give it a lot of blooms the first year.
Cons: Includes nonnative grasses and wildflowers. Some of these grasses and wildflowers have been known to escape cultivation to grow in wild areas. At least half of the longer-lived species are not native to Ohio. Grasses will dominate the planting over time, with less of a wildflower presence (however, note that this would likely be the case for any grass/wildflower mix). Some species will get three feet tall.
PON recommends: If you want to include some native plants, this mix is not terrible. The presence of nonnatives that have naturalized in the environment is a cause to think twice about this mix, however, I didn’t find any information that the included species are potentially invasive.
Freedom Lawn I, II, and III
Requirements: 4-6 hours of sunlight during the establishment phase. Freedom Lawns I and II require mowing once to keep the annual rye from growing too tall.
Pros: A height of 6-12 inches. Freedom Lawn II can be mowed to the height of a traditional lawn. Freedom Lawn III doesn’t need to be mowed at all.
Cons: Freedom Lawn I should be sown in low-traffic areas. I’m not sure if the other two mixes can handle high traffic. There are no native plants in these mixes, and some of the fescues and grasses have escaped into the wild.
PON recommends: Find a seed mix with native species unless your only goal is to mow and water less.
Prairie Nursery
Prairie Nursery is based in Wisconsin and sells native plants and seeds, many of which are species native to Ohio.
No Mow Lawn Seed Mix (with or without rye)
Requirements: No heavy clay soil. Full sun, part sun, or shade (except for deep shade). Dry to medium soil.
Pros: 0.6 inches to 1 foot tall. Tolerates moderate foot traffic and uses little water. The seed mix with rye helps to stabilize slopes and erosion-prone areas.
Cons: None of the plants in the seed mixes are native to Ohio.
PON recommends: Find a seed mix with native species unless your only goal is to mow and water less.
Conclusions About Grass Lawn Replacements
Unfortunately, a reliable seed mix of native species to replace grass lawns has not been developed by two of the larger native plant sellers. The options listed above all contain species that have naturalized into Ohio’s wild areas. I hope attempts will be made to develop a native seed mix, but it’s possible Ohio’s native grasses don’t fit the requirements for a lawn alternative.
If you’re choosing a lawn alternative so you don’t need to mow or water as often, then you have options. But if you want to stick to native species, you’ll need to experiment with them.
Sedges and violets could be good species to start with, especially Pennsylvania sedge in shade. Ohio has one native fescue, nodding fescue (Festuca subverticillata), and it can grow in shadier areas in medium-wet to medium-dry soil. With its two-foot stature and sprawling stems, it could be a good candidate for a lawn replacement.
Sunny spaces may provide more of a challenge to find the right native species. The Flowering Lawn Mix sold by OPN Seed contains side-oats grama grass, and this could be a good start if you’re okay with it growing up to three feet. Since this is a clumping species, the next step would be to use one or more species that could form mats around the clumps, such as wild strawberry. If shorter species that can withstand foot traffic are required, further research and experiments would need to be done to find the right plants.