Cool lawn alternatives for alfresco living

How’s your lawn? A lawn can be a great pleasure, but it can also be a complete pain. In wet weather it’s like walking across a swamp. In hot dry conditions it reverts to something out of Africa, yellowing and crispy. If you happen to be the kind of person who is driven nuts by moss, you’ll be driven nuts by moss and potentially sent even nuttier by the arrival of weeds. And, let’s face it, a lawn is a desert for wildlife, with nothing to attract or keep them there.

So what are the main lawn alternatives? Let’s explore.

A reluctant mention for fake grass

Fake grass is very popular. It might be the first thing that springs to mind when exploring lawn alternatives. It can be amazingly real-looking. But if a real lawn is a wildlife desert, a fake one is the ultimate in wildlife un-friendliness. These days it’s important to support wildlife in every way we can – so we’re not going to recommend plastic grass. Walk away from that fake grass 😉

Beautiful stone paving and concrete paving

Real stone paving costs, but the results are worth it. Stone always looks beautiful. It lasts and lasts. And going for something like an Indian sandstone opens up so many possibilities, from slabs in wonderful colours, with amazing patterns, to paving slabs including magical fossils. You can also buy concrete slabs that look very like the real thing, at a much lower cost.

Paving with concrete slabs is another way to replace a lawn, and it comes with extra potential. Buy industrial-quality exterior concrete floor paint in a choice of glorious colours and add extra interest to your paved space.

Non-slip wooden decking and plastic decking lawn alternatives

Wooden garden decking is an old favourite, a classic, and always popular as well as practical. You can spend a king’s ransom on solid hardwood decking, choose a less costly softwood option, or go for a plastic alternative that doesn’t rot or attract mould.

Mellow old bricks and decorative gravels

It’s a stunning look. Old red bricks laid in patterns, like the Romans did, are very lovely, all mellow and subtle. And you can get some gorgeous decorative gravels, from pretty multi-coloured pea shingle to vivid purple or green slate. A combination of gravel and stepping stones or paving slabs makes an interesting design as well as a practical way to suggest routes across the space.

Go the organic route with bark chippings

Bark chippings need to be deeply layered so there’s a lovely, thick layer of dark stuff to walk on. The dep colour complements greenery and flowers really well, and you can top it up with more yearly to keep it looking good.

Let your lawn go wonderfully weedy and wild

Climate change means grass lawns are going to take more work than ever in future. Thinking about wildlife again, why not let your lawn fill up with weeds and mosses? They’re natives so they’re climate hardy. They’re actually very beautiful when you get close up to them. And they remain looking green and healthy while grass turns to mush or dries to a crisp. The result is a stunning green lawn packed with strange little plants, enjoyed by wildlife enjoys, green whatever the weather, and able to withstand an unpredictable climate.