Lawn that is garden classics might look like a no-brainer but this type of landscaping requires a lot of effort to make it look good. If you don’t feel like spending that time and effort or if you just want a more naturally-looking landscape, there are several alternatives to lawn that can match different garden styles.
Ornamental Grasses
Grass, in my opinion, is the best option for a garden when you don’t want lawn. The most widespread grasses are pampas, Feather Reed grass, Purple Fountain grass, Japanese forest grass, Mexican feather grass, blue oat grass. Grasses have very different looks and textures and they are sure to make your garden eye-catching, even if you won’t have any other plants at all. Most of them don’t require much attention, so you will have a bold and low-effort garden.
Skip lawn and stick to blooming groundcovers and grasses for a lively and natural look.
The space shows off a lot of types of grasses and some flowers, and this textural landscape wows.
Simple grass without a manicured look is a great solution to make your garden look more natural and native.
The landscape is done with drought-tolerant plants, trees and bushes, and pavers look nice with grasses.
Pair up gravel and grasses to cover the ground, and trees will add vertical interest.
Gravel paired with grass looks cool and brings much more texture than lawn could.
Grasses of various kinds are always a good substitute to lawn because they will bring texture without requiring much care.
Line up your paths with grasses and blooms that are native for your area to follow the trend for effortless gardens. (via gardensillustrated).
Just look how gorgeous ornamental grasses can look! Spruce them up with a bit of simple blooms and voila, you have a gorgeous landscape!.
Ornamental grasses and various flowers are used to create a lovely and effortless landscape that catches an eye.
Groundcovers
Groundcovers are gaining more and more popularity because these are fab alternatives to lawn. The most popular are Dichondra, Pratia Pedunculata, Santa Barbara daisies, Irish moss, Creeping Thyme, Creeping Jenny, Burleweed. You can try less obvious options, too, for example, chamomile or rosemary. Choose a plant or several plants that are perfect for your climate and will feel well in the garden, so that they didn’t require much maintenance. Groundcovers, blooming or not, will cover your garden with a gorgeous carpet and will look cool with stones, pavers and rocks. Besides, groundcovers always increase the natural look of the garden, and such natural-looking landscapes are a huge trend.
Rosemary is a gorgeous textural groundcover with blooms, it's very eye-catching and quite out-of-the-box.
Blooming groundcovers paired with gravel are amazing: they bring color, texture and don't require maintenance like lawn.
Periwinkle as a ground cover is a lovely idea that won't make you spend all the time taking care of your garden.
Pratia Pedunculata is a fantastic groundcover that includes small blooms and will accent any path or cover any ground.
Santa Barbara daisies accent the stairs here but you may also use them to cover the whole ground in the garden.
Creeping Thyme can make up a gorgeous blooming carpet to cover the ground, who wants lawn when you can have blooms?.
Burleweed is a lovely textural groundcover that you can pair with stones for a unique look.
Chamomile is a lovely alternative to usual lawns, it will create a blooming carpet in your garden.
This space is done with pavers and groundcover, trees and greenery make the garden eye-catchier.
Creeping Jenny looks beautiful, especially with moss, greenery and stones, and it won't require much care.
Dichondra is a cool groundcover that will fit many garden styles and won't require any care.
Micro clover is a lovely groundcover suitable for many gardens, it looks harmonious with a lot of other blooms and plants.
Irish moss is a bold and lovely groundcover that looks nice with everything, from blooms to rocks.
Meadows
Meadow gardens are a huge trend, and this is not surprising: meadows show off natural beauty of each area, they strike with bright colors and don’t require much effort as these are usually native plants. A meadow will be definitely a great substitute to lawn, it will be much more spectacular and will also attract wildlife.
This adorable meadow includes purple and white blooms and grasses, it's an adorable way to pull off a natural-looking landscape.
This adorable bright meadow with orange, blue and yellow flowers is eye-catchy and textural, and it's a lovely alternative to lawn.
You'll forget about lawns when you see these amazing super bright blooms around the path. (via homeisd).
A super textural and lush meadow garden is always a good idea for a contemporary or Scandinavian space. (via gardenista).
This lush meadow with greenery and flowers and some hedges is a lovely way to style your ourdoor space, and it looks very natural.
The grasses and blooms paired with a tree make up a fab meadow-style space, which doesn't require too much maintenance. (via instagram).
This garden is a gorgeous blooming meadow with lots of native plants and trees, and lawn would look weird here.
This adorable lush garden consists of meadows done with gravel paths, and it's a lovely solution to enjoy colors and textures.
Lush greenery, grasses, various blooms and textural plants create a natural landscape, and gravel paths are great for a texture.
Densely planted perennials can easily substitute lawn and will create a very natural-looking landscape.
Hardscaping
Gravel, stones, rocks and pebbles are a nice alternative to lawn, especially if you live in a desert or just dry climate. They are easy to apply and can cover not only walkways but also ground. Besides, hardscaping can include some plants: greenery, grasses and cacti or succulents. The good thing is that hardscape doesn’t require care, only the plants if you have them.
Gravel is a nice ground cover, and it can be paired with cacti, succulents, which are great for a dry climates.
Gravel and pavers paired with grasses and rocks help recreate a zen and Asian-inspried landscape.
Gravel, pebbles and rocks make up a lovely garden space, and some blooms and grasses between them enliven the landscape.
Gravel and stone are great to cover the ground, and some greenery will refresh the look of the garden.
Have a hot climate? Skip lawn and choose cacti and succulents plus pebbles on top, which won't require that much care and water as lawn could.
This textural modern landscape features grasses and shrubs, blooms and greenery, pavers and rocks.
This elegant space is done with stones, pebbles, topiaries and a path, and no lawn is required here.
The landscape features gravel, stone pavers and some textural plants that match the Scandinavian style of the house. (via thespruce).