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wikiHow to Replace Your Lawn with Groundcovers

Three Parts:Choosing Groundcovers That Meet Your NeedsPreparing Your Space for PlantingPlanting GroundcoversCommunity Q&A

Replacing your grass lawn with groundcovers can helps conserve water and eliminates the need for regular mowing. Choose species that are native to your area, hardy for your climate, and suited to the amount of sunlight your yard receives. Mix up your selections by including plants of varying heights and colors to add interest and decrease the risks of pests and weeds. Clear out your old lawn and till the soil to prepare your planting area. Work in rows and evenly space your seedlings to create a gorgeous, low-maintenance outdoor space.

Part 1
Choosing Groundcovers That Meet Your Needs

  1. 1
    Choose durable plants that can tolerate foot traffic. Before replacing your lawn with groundcovers, make sure your new plants can handle some foot traffic. If the space needs to be durable enough for rougher activities, like your children or pets playing, a hardscaped area might be your best bet.[1]
    • Pacific beach strawberry, for instance, is a hardy perennial groundcover native across nearly the entire North American Pacific coast. It’ll tolerate being walked on, but isn’t great for recreational activities.[2]
    • If you need spots for heavy foot traffic or outdoor playing, consider using permeable hardscapes, such as decomposed granite, mulch, or gravel.[3]
  2. 2
    Go with plants suitable for your light exposure and climate. Observe your yard over the course of the day, and note which areas receive the most sun and which remain shaded. Choose plants that are marked best for full sun, partial sun, or shade for the appropriate areas.[4]
    • For example, Moss phlox loves sunlight and, as a bonus, produces flowers that attract butterflies. For shaded areas, consider a vine or ivy native to your location, like Virginia creeper, which is native from Quebec and Ontario to Central America.[5]
    • Your local home improvement store or nursery will carry groundcovers with various light preferences that thrive in your climate. If you have any questions, ask them about the best perennial choices for your sunlight exposure and hardiness zone.
  3. 3
    Mix up your selections for healthier, more beautiful landscaping. Choosing various species will help you fill areas that receive various levels of sunlight. You can also add interest by mixing low growing plants with taller shrubs and bushes. In addition to improving aesthetics, planting various species of groundcover will help reduce the risks of pests, diseases, and weeds.[6]
  4. 4
    Avoid invasive and aggressive plants. Consult your local nursery or home improvement store’s garden section about plants that are considered invasive in your area. You can also search online to see where a particular species is native and where it’s invasive.[7]
    • For example, Creeping Jenny and English Ivy are both considered invasive in locations across the eastern United States. They might grow quickly and provide quick coverage, but they’ll push out your other groundcover choices and change your native soil’s chemistry.

Part 2
Preparing Your Space for Planting

  1. 1
    Remove all grass from the planting area. When you’ve chosen your groundcovers, prepare your planting area by first getting rid of anything growing in your existing lawn. Use a grub hoe to strip away any grass or weeds. Shovel the plant matter into lawn bags and discard.[8]
  2. 2
    Loosen up the existing soil. Use a roto-tiller to work through and loosen the soil. Dig through your yard in strips and loosen the topsoil about six inches deep.[9]
    • A power roto-tiller is your best option. If you don’t have one, the most affordable choice would be to rent one from your nearby home improvement store.
  3. 3
    Till peat moss into the soil. After you’ve loosened the top six inches of soil, improve its quality by mixing in a layer of peat moss. Use a shovel to spread one to two inches of peat moss across the planting area. Then use the roto-tiller to blend it with the existing soil.[10]
  4. 4
    Spread low-nitrogen fertilizer over the planting area. Spread a thin layer of fertilizer by hand onto your planting area. Sprinkling a thin, consistent dusting will do just fine; you don’t have to pack on a thick layer. Most groundcovers will grow best in low-nitrogen conditions, but you should double check your selected plants’ labels to be sure.[11]

Part 3
Planting Groundcovers

  1. 1
    Create a three-foot wide planting strip using bark mulch. Use a rake to spread out mulch of your choice in a three-foot wide strip across your yard. Go for a depth between one and two inches. If your planting area has any incline, it’s best to work from the top of the incline first and proceed downhill.[12]
    • Mulch will help the soil retain moisture and discourage weed growth.
  2. 2
    Space each plant at recommended intervals. Use a trowel to dig a hole just large enough to accommodate a seedling. Your selected plants’ labels will recommend a distance to keep between each plant. A typical distance will be between six and ten inches, but you can modify your interval based on your budget and expectations.[13]
    • If you want to keep cost low, purchase fewer plants and increase the distance between seedlings. For instant coverage, a 15 by 20 foot space (4.6 by 6 meters) requires about 300 plants planted only a few inches apart. If you can wait a year or two, you can use a fraction of that number, plant seedlings ten to twelve inches apart, and wait for them to develop coverage.[14]
  3. 3
    Continue planting in three-foot strips to fill the planting area. Once you’ve finished planting across the first strip, start the next one using the same sequence. Shovel mulch around where the first strip left off and use a rake to spread it in an even three-foot strip an inch or two in depth. Plant your seedlings in this strip, then continue repeating the process until you’ve completed your planting area.[15]
  4. 4
    Care for your groundcovers. General care for your plants should be minimal, but will depend on the species you choose. For example, the seedlings' information sticks or labels will let you know how often they'll need to be watered. Typically, your new plants will need a thorough watering two or three times a week for the first several weeks, or until they start to develop coverage and establish themselves.[16]
    • Choosing plants native to your location will decrease the need for watering. Since they're adapted for your location's climate, rainfall will be enough to sustain them once they've established their roots.

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    Categories: Lawn Care


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