In my search to replace the ubiquitous lawn which undeservedly tends to dominate our gardens, I have experimented with numerous alternatives. The latest quality and competitive pricing of artificial lawns makes them viable in children’s play and sports areas avoiding mud and protecting falls from tramoplines and climbing frames. Gravel gardens are feasible in sunny, well drained areas and provide informal transitory communities of creeping and self-seeding plants.
The flowering lawn works well in a contained area or town garden and consists of low growing ground cover perennials. These should be predominantly evergreen to provide all year interest and prevent weeds establishing. They should either cope with being walked on occasionally or stepping stones can set into the lawn. Expertise is needed to select, source and set out plants to suit the conditions whether sunny and dry or shady and damp, and which will thrive as compatible communities. Such selections are the subject of ongoing Post Graduate research in the UK.
Garden lawn substitute – flowering lawn
