Episode: #7 14/10/2006
Presenter: Phil Dudman

Every homeowner dreams of a lush green lawn and there is no other ground cover that can cope with regular traffic like turf. What about those areas where there is very little foot traffic? It is a great opportunity to try something new and interesting, with a few lawn alternatives.

A good one to start with is Zoysia tenuifolia, better known as ?No Mow Grass?. You can leave that old mower in the shed, because it doesn?t grow tall, it just keeps spreading. Zoysia is happy growing in sunny and shady spots so it is versatile. It looks a bit like moss and a lot of gardeners use it in Japanese style gardens to great effect. It is also a good plant to use in difficult to maintain spots like banks where you want the look of lawn.

The popular mini Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus ?Nana?) is another one worth trying. It is a hardy tufted plant that will take a bit of light traffic. Some of the best ways to use this is in drifts on garden borders or as filler between paving and stepping stones where it forms a deep-green textured carpet.

If you have got troublesome areas of shade where your grass won?t grow, then there are two exceptional native plants that could be just what you have been looking for. An attractive ground cover is the ?Native Violet? (Viola hederacea) and it is nearly always in flower. It spreads by runners sending down roots from the nodes and in time, it forms quite a tight, low cover that is very useful for choking out weeds

The other one is Dichondra repens and it has a very similar habit. It thrives in shade as well as full sun and looks superb planted as a stand-alone lawn alternative. Or you can just use it to cover those bare patches of lawn in shady spots.

Both of these plants tend to prefer a little extra moisture so it is best to time your planting for favourable conditions so you get them off to a good start.

Ordinarily you would expect to see mint growing in pots, but several members of the mint family make good lawn alternatives. They quickly form a dense mat of foliage that releases the sweet smell of mint every time they are walked on.

Of course, no plant matches the traditional lawn species for toughness but if you have a few areas that receive less traffic, then why don?t you try some of these lawn alternatives. They will save you lots of mowing and add some new and interesting effects to your garden.