Whether you want to reduce your grass lawn or replace it, there are lots of options for alternative eco-lawns including wildflowers, clovers, and fescue grass seed mixes. The recommended seed mixes are suited to hardiness zones 3 to 9 in Canada and the United States.
Also see How to Grow a Pollinator-Friendly Garden Without Freaking Out Your Neighbors.
Good-Bye Grass, Hello Pollinators
If you are ready to give up some or all of your lawn in favor of more environmentally sustainable and pollinator-friendly options, there are several alternatives to turfgrass including low-growing wildflowers, clovers, and fescues.
We know traditional lawns are not good for the environment. That green, carpet-like grass that blankets much of suburban North America requires frequent mowing (fuel, time, pollution), gobbles up water, and sends hazardous runoff from chemical fertilizers to our waterways.
Topped off with herbicides and devoid of flowers for pollinators, we’ve created massive green wastelands.
Lawn seems so practical and pretty until you weigh the environmental costs.
Related: How to Grow a Pollinator-Friendly Front Garden Without Freaking Out Your Neighbors
I realize most lawns will not go away in this century but just think of those millions and millions of sterile green lawns that could become life-sustaining eco-corridors just by ditching the chemicals and planting more diversely.
For me as a gardener, it’s been a personal evolution over many years but these days my garden choices are guided by what’s best for the beneficial insects. That one objective leads to flowers, food, beauty, and sustainability.
Plus, life is just too darn short for frequent lawn care.
Faced with a lot of grass lawn at our current home, I am always looking for more low-care plant options that support wildlife.
Keep reading for ideas on how to make the transition.
Getting Real About Replacing Lawn
Sun or Shade: Look for a wildflower mix to suit your growing conditions. There are lots of options available.
Converting lawn into a pollinator haven is not as simple as sprinkling some seeds.
Contrary to popular belief, you cannot just let your lawn grow out and think you will have wildflower meadow.
And neither can you toss wildflower seeds on top of grass lawn and think you’ll be swimming in flowers.
Everything depends on what you’ve already got—how aggressive or invasive the existing plants are—and your growing conditions. And odds are, there are not any native plants politely waiting nearby to make a grand return.
I decided on low-growing wildflowers but, if you want a meadow instead, the new book Lawns into Meadows by Owen Wormster walks you through that transformation process.
Seeds Need Soil Contact to Germinate
Wildflower seeds need contact with moist soil to germinate, and, if any do make it, turf grass will out-compete them. That’s the nature of the beast. Traditional lawn grasses are chosen specifically for this quality.
To successfully replace some or all of your lawn requires
- Choosing the right seeds for your climate and growing conditions.
- Proper soil preparation including removing all other plants and roots in the planting area—in the least harmful way possible.
If you are preparing a large area, this cardboard method will do most of the work for you. - Some ongoing maintenance.
It’s also important to let go of perfectionism and focus on the good you are doing. And once you see the life it brings, an appreciation for true natural beauty follows.
This means working with nature, not against it: tidy is for houses, not gardens.
Eco-Friendly Lawn Tips
- Stop using synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.
- Stop watering anything other than new seeds and plants. Let grass go dormant during droughts.
- Gradually remove grass lawn with an alternative lawn mix suited to your region and growing conditions. Sow test areas to evaluate success through four seasons.
- Plant diversely: Careful not to replace one mono-culture with another. The circle of life depends on a wide variety of plants and animals in sufficient quantities.
- Know your invasive plants and remove them.
How I’m Replacing Lawn With Wildflowers
My Garden
Ontario, Canada (Zone 6b)
Sandy soil with low fertility
- Perennials, trees, shrubs
- Raised beds for herbs and vegetables
- Grass lawn: no watering, no chemicals, minimal mowing.
After researching various options, I decided to sow an alternative wildflower lawn mix (details below) in parts of my yard where I have been pulling out an invasive ground cover (creeping Jenny | Lysimachia nummularia).
I also have patches of lawn that have naturalizing flowering bulbs.
While the urge to purge the entire lawn is real, I want to test small areas first to be sure it’s worth the time and money to seed larger areas.
Alternative Lawn Mix with Wildflowers
TIP: Check your favorite local seed seller for ‘wildflower lawn’ or ‘eco lawn seeds’.
Here’s what I’m using:
Source: West Coast Seeds (British Columbia, Canada, also ships to U.S.)
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Zones: 3-10
- Low-growing, dense ground cover.
- Attracts beneficial insects and butterflies over a long bloom period.
- Regrows for several years.
Contains 13 species including fescues, flowers, and clover:
Baby Blue-Eyes (Nemophila menziesii)
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Creeping Daisy (Chrysanthemum paludosum)
Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
Dwarf California Poppy (Eschscholzia caespitosa)
Five-Spot (Nemophila maculata)
Hard Fescue (Festuca trachyphylla)
Johnny Jump-Up (Viola cornuta)
Sheep Fescue (Festuca ovina)
Strawberry Clover (Trifolium fragiferum)
Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
Yellow Daisy (Chrysanthemum multicaule)
Recommended rate of application: 115g per 1,000 square feet.
See it at West Coast Seeds (lawn mix)
More Alternative Lawn Options
- Bee Turf
- Chafer Beetle Resistant Lawn Blend
- Easy Care Envirolawn
- Micro Clover Seed
- Tall Fescue
Also see: Burpee Wildflower Seed Mix for Hummingbirds & Butterflies (Amazon)
Grass-Like Alternative
Fescue Eco-Lawn Mix
If you want something that more closely resembles traditional lawn that can take foot traffic, you may prefer a fescue seed option.
Fescues are flowering plants in the Poacae grass family. They have deep roots which reduces the need for regular watering, and they are slow-growing which cuts down on the mowing.
See Fescue Eco-Lawn Mix | Wildflowerfarm.com
How To Transition From Lawn to Wildflowers
1Soil Preparation
The instructions say to start the seeds in late spring but we had a cold snap in June so I held off until the end of June.
To get started, I cleared the sowing area of plants and roots and put down a layer of top soil.
Many wildflowers mixes do best in poor quality soil. I have lots of that so I did not add any compost or manure.
We got a massive rain storm the same day I sowed the seeds. I was worried they would wash away.
2Week One
Germination conditions were clearly perfect because this is how it looked just a few days later. Lots of seedlings!
The straggly-looking plants among the seedlings are some lavender plants I transplanted from another part of the garden. The purple flowers are hardy geraniums and not part of the mix.
I hand-watered the entire sowing area daily if needed to keep the soil moist for the first two weeks.
There were a few bald spots so I added some extra seeds to those areas.
2Week Two
By the second week everything was filling in nicely.
by Owen Wormster
In a world where lawns have wreaked havoc on our natural ecosystems, meadows offer a compelling solution. They establish wildlife and pollinator habitats. They’re low-maintenance and low-cost. They have a built-in resilience that helps them weather climate extremes, and they can draw down and store far more carbon dioxide than any manicured lawn. They’re also beautiful, all year round.
3Week Six
At this point the seedlings are young plants, about 8-inches tall. I can tell there are several species growing but so far only the white alyssum is flowering.
This area is prone to weeds and a few have shown up (that are prominent in my soil) but the alternative lawn mix is winning so far.
This is how it looks close-up.
The seed mix contains perennials, biennials, and annuals so many will self-seed if left in place.
So far I’m really happy it.
Listen
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt â™›
How to Replace Lawn With Wildflower Seed Mix
Equipment
Supplies & Materials
- 225 grams Alternative Lawn Wildflower Seed Mix covers 1955 square feet
Instructions
- In late spring after last frost or autumn before first frost, clear planting area of plants and roots.
- Add one-inch of top soil.
- Moisten soil.
- Sprinkle seeds at density indicated on package.
- Cover with 1/16-inch layer of soil and water lightly.
- Use a lightweight frost cloth to protect seedlings from birds if needed.
- Water daily as needed until well-established.
- Reseed bare patches as needed.
Beverly says
Thank you for this information!
Do you have any suggestions for larger areas? We are trying to convert 3 acres to something more environmentally friendly. Would doing small bands of wildflowers eventually overtake the lawn? Or would a deep rake and overseeding with the wildflower mix work at all?
Thanks for any possible suggestions.
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Beverly,
Great project. I would contact a local company that specializes in this. You want native seeds suited to your specific region and right for your growing conditions. The term “wildflower” is often confused with “native” but often wildflower seed mixes contain seeds that are invasive or non-native. It takes some research to do the project right and not create a bigger problem. I hope you find what you need! 🙂
Eric says
This had all the information I was looking for in one spot!
Eldene says
I am very excited to have found this site!
Cathy says
Great ideas
Mary says
Thank you for your easy instructions. I am retiring this year and have great plans for lawn to meadow. With your help, I feel I can accomplish this. Excited!
Rachel says
Thanks for the details Melissa – I’m very curious to know how your wildflower mix looks this spring!
Jennifer Martin says
I’ve been looking forward to making my garden more environmentally friendly and have plenty of lawn to convert to a wildflower meadow. Thank you for invaluable information. I look forward to seeing your flowers grow and reading further reports.
Anthony says
Just started preparing an area for wildflowers this month. Right now I am in the process of removing unwanted vegetation. I’m in NC and got our seeds from a local grower. They recommend sowing this fall. Thank for the article.
Kathy says
Im in NC Piedmont. Where can I get wildflower seed mix?
Melissa J. Will says
Here are some online options:
https://hancockseed.com/collections/wildflower-groundcover
and
https://www.vermontwildflowerfarm.com/ground-cover-mix.html
and
https://www.americanmeadows.com/wildflower-seeds/wildflower-mix/alternative-lawn-wildflower-seed-mix