Native Plants that are good Lawn Alternatives - Ask Extension
I’m interested in planting my lawn to something other than standard lawn grass. I’ve heard a lot about vague benefits of alternative ground cover...
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Native Plants that are good Lawn Alternatives #892310
Asked February 04, 2025, 10:03 PM EST
I’m interested in planting my lawn to something other than standard lawn grass. I’ve heard a lot about vague benefits of alternative ground cover plants such as reduced mowing, less soil erosion, support for pollenating insects, better habitat for small critters, the list goes on. I’ve also heard a lot of conflicting information about what plants to use to attain these benefits. I’ve got low to medium light and plenty of moisture with a thriving Japanese stiltgrass infestation. I’ve also got an oddball dog that likes to eat random plants for some reason, so whatever I plant can’t be toxic when eaten. Can the experts offer any advice on finding a plant or plant mix that will survive and be good for the ecosystem?
New Castle County Delaware
Expert Response
The first step in converting lawn to another plant type would be to get rid of the Japanese stilt grass as it tends to overwhelm many other plant types. Here are tips on getting rid of the stilt grass. Within this article there is a link to herbicides that could be used to get rid of the stilt grass which would also get rid of the lawn grass.
https://extension.psu.edu/practical-remedies-for-japanese-stiltgrass
I am assuming that your partial shade is provided by trees and that the stilt grass is fairly rampant among the trees. You did not say how much lawn you were looking to convert. If it is a large area, start with a wide strip bordering the woods, remove the stilt grass and then set up a barrier of ferns and short shrubs as recommended in the PSU link. This would give you a break from the stilt greass continuing to invade from this area.
The rest of the grass area sounds like it would be an excellent candidate for many different species of Carex. Carex are in the sedge family and closely resemble grasses, however they do not get mowed and are very low maintenance when placed in the correct location. Your dog would be free to romp through them without disturbing them and they are not poisonous. This link will take you to the Virginia Native Plant Finder. Use the Search by Characteristic feature and then select part shade, moist soil and a height of 2' or less. It will provide a list of suitable plants, mostly carex.
https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/native-plants-finder
This link Plant-List-4-Groundcovers.pdf contains a brochure of native groundcovers with flowering plants that could be interspersed amongst the Carex for color and to offer nectar and pollen to bees. The only one on this list you would not want to use is the Opuntia (Eastern prickly pear cactus) or you will have a dog with a snout full of tiny invisible spines.
https://extension.psu.edu/practical-remedies-for-japanese-stiltgrass
I am assuming that your partial shade is provided by trees and that the stilt grass is fairly rampant among the trees. You did not say how much lawn you were looking to convert. If it is a large area, start with a wide strip bordering the woods, remove the stilt grass and then set up a barrier of ferns and short shrubs as recommended in the PSU link. This would give you a break from the stilt greass continuing to invade from this area.
The rest of the grass area sounds like it would be an excellent candidate for many different species of Carex. Carex are in the sedge family and closely resemble grasses, however they do not get mowed and are very low maintenance when placed in the correct location. Your dog would be free to romp through them without disturbing them and they are not poisonous. This link will take you to the Virginia Native Plant Finder. Use the Search by Characteristic feature and then select part shade, moist soil and a height of 2' or less. It will provide a list of suitable plants, mostly carex.
https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/native-plants-finder
This link Plant-List-4-Groundcovers.pdf contains a brochure of native groundcovers with flowering plants that could be interspersed amongst the Carex for color and to offer nectar and pollen to bees. The only one on this list you would not want to use is the Opuntia (Eastern prickly pear cactus) or you will have a dog with a snout full of tiny invisible spines.
