In our latest video, 10 Best Native Plants to Replace Boring Grass, we reveal exactly how to transform your dull lifeless water-guzzling lawn or artificial fake grass into a breathtaking vibrant low-maintenance native plant paradise.
Poop Garden Expert Tips
- Starting at number 10: Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis). This short, native prairie grass is a game-changer for dry, sunny yards across the central and western U.S.
- Number 9: Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata) – the native North American version. This low-growing beauty forms a dense mat just 2 to 12 inches tall with pretty purple flower spikes all summer.
- Number 8: Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), also called Kinnikinnick. If you’re in the northern U.S. or cooler zones, this evergreen groundcover is pure gold.
- Number 7: Green-and-Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum). For shady spots where grass dies anyway, this is your hero.
- Number 6: Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia). You’ve probably seen these pop up in lawns already. Now invite them on purpose!
- Number 5: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Tough, aromatic, and flat-out beautiful.
- Number 4: Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia). This fuzzy, low-growing native is perfect for dry, sunny or partly shady areas.
- Number 3: Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana). Absolutely beautiful! This native groundcover sends out runners to create a lush carpet of three-part leaves and tiny sweet strawberries in early summer.
- Number 2: Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides). The true native turf grass of the Great Plains!
- And the number 1 best native plant to replace boring grass: Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica)! This grass-like sedge is the MVP for most of the eastern and central U.S.
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