Turf Alternatives

Gardeners hoping for sustainable ground covers will learn about eight different kinds of ground covers/grasses that take little water or mowing and are disease resistant and amenable to foot traffic. And they look good, too!
The ground covers are planted in 3 different blocks, which will all be on three different irrigation schedules in the future. These grasses may be mowed to resemble lawn or left unmown for easy care. Four of these turf replacements are native to California and four are chosen from other Mediterranean climate areas. All provide attractive alternatives to a conventional lawn. Fall is the best time to plant these new ground covers. The plants that we have featured are Carex praegracilis, Carex flacca (also found labeled as flauca and glauca) 'Blue Zinger', Sysyrinchium bellum, Dymondia margaretae, Carex testacea (New Zealand Native), Festuca rubra 'Point Joe', Festuca idahoensis 'Siskiyou Blue', Festuca glauca 'Festina', other plants that are not featured in the garden, but would also be good choices are: Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue', If you like a dark green meadow look, also known as "no-mow", creeping red fescue usually grows to about 8 inches tall and can be very graceful and drought tolerant! It doesn't do as well in North County (hot climates).

Click on the underlined links below for more ideas:

Waterwise Landscaping Plants for SLO County

For more ideas on Drought Tolerant Plants and Groundcovers

The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes by Rick Darke

Reimagining the California Lawn: Water-conserving Plants, Practices and Designs by Carol Bornstein, David Fross and Bart O'Brien

Here's what it looked like in April 2011

Here it is in July of 2011

Here it is in August of 2011