Lawn Alternatives

New or replacement plantings for conventional high water-using sod lawns are demonstrated in the Lawn Alternatives section of the Palo Alto Demo Garden.

The lawn alternatives have been selected to showcase plants that use less water, less fertilizer, and have lower maintenance than conventional lawns in three basic groupings:

Lawns

Smooth, mowable surfaces for kids and pets to play on

Agrostis pallens/Native Bentgrass: a year-round green native grass, takes full sun to part shade
Bolero Plus™: a year-round green fescue and bluegrass blend, takes sun to part shade
Buchloe dactyloides/California Buffalograss: a green native grass that browns in winter, takes full sun to 50% shade
Latitude 36™: a green, hybrid, no-seedhead Bermuda grass that browns in winter, takes sun to part shade

Groundcovers

Walkable, low-growing surfaces with little or no mowing for rock gardens, stone walkways, and large areas. Besides these below, there are many other choices including creeping mint, creeping thyme, chamomile, moss, and many thyme varieties.

Dymondia margaretae/Silver Carpet: a durable, evergreen, slow-spreading groundcover, takes sun to light shade
Fragaria vesca/Woodland Strawberry: an evergreen low-growing herb, takes full shade to full sun
Lippia nodiflora/Kurapia®: an evergreen, mowable, creeping succulent, takes full sun to part shade
Thymus pseudolanuginosus/Wooly Thyme: a gray-green low mat, takes full sun

Meadow Grasses

High-growing grasses and fescues for a meadow-like landscape on flat to hillside areas. Takes very low to no foot traffic.

Carex praegracilis/Meadow Sedge ‘Chisai’: an evergreen, California native grass that can be mowed or left unmowed, takes sun and part shade
Festuca glauca/Blue Fescue: a gray-blue bunchgrass, takes full sun to light shade
Festuca rubra ‘Molate’/Creeping Red Fescue: an evergreen, California native bunchgrass that can be mowed or left unmowed, takes sun and part shade
Native Mow Free™: a green California native fescue grass blend that can be mowed or left unmowed, takes 50% shade and 50% sun

Lawn alternatives area at the Palo Alto Demonstration Garden