How much space do you really need for leisure activities or as a design element, for example? One alternative would be to reduce the size of your lawn in favor of flower beds. A low-maintenance perennial bed is possible in any location. Our native variety of perennials offers plants suitable for every type of soil, which are also a good source of food for insects. Open spaces can be filled with insect-friendly ground cover, which not only prevents them from drying out but also reduces the growth of unwanted weeds.

In areas that are only used once or twice a day, other plants can replace the lawn. These may not look exactly like a traditional lawn, but they are easier to maintain and require less water. The plants should, of course, be perennial and hardy so that you can enjoy them for a long time. Common lawn replacement plants are creeping thyme, carpet verbena, and lilac cushion, which we would like to briefly introduce to you:

Sand thyme and field thyme (Thymus) like sunny locations with well-drained soil. Thyme does not need watering, stays green in winter, and blooms in purple and white in early summer. This type of thyme forms dense cushions that grow to a height of 2 to 10 cm. Planted at sufficient intervals, they quickly create permanent green areas.  Both types of thyme bloom continuously and are also a good source of food for bees and other insects.

Carpet verbena (Phyla nodiflora) is also an evergreen ground cover that grows to a height of no more than 5 cm. It blooms from early summer in shades of white to pale pink. As it develops roots up to a meter deep, it can cope with drought but also tolerates wet periods in the gardening year. In winter, its foliage turns brownish, but quickly sprouts green again in spring. Carpet verbena is very vigorous and covers large areas in a short time.

The foliage of the cotula looks like small ferns and grows to a height of between 5 and 10 cm. Not all varieties are hardy, so care should be taken when selecting them. In the cold season, the leaves turn copper-colored to black. It blooms with inconspicuous white or yellow flowers. Cotula is suitable for sunny to semi-shaded locations with well-drained, slightly moist soil.

You can find more plants for replacing lawns in the list of links below.

The easiest way is to let a flower lawn grow. To do this, mow the lawn—or sections of it—only every four to six weeks. This will allow a classic lawn to develop into an experiential lawn where wild herbs such as daisies, clover, and speedwell bloom. This saves work and the lawn can still be used.  When reseeding, look for lawn mixtures that tolerate dry conditions well.

If you would like to have a real wildflower meadow with more biodiversity, you will need to invest a little more work at the beginning. The old turf must be removed before a meadow mixture suitable for the location can be sown. These meadows are only mowed twice a year and should not be walked on if possible. Alternatively, paths can be mowed into the areas so that, for example, the compost remains easily accessible.

Combinations of flower lawns and classic lawns are also possible. These can be used as design elements to give a monotonous lawn a whole new look.

No matter what you decide, the lawn alternatives we have presented are all low-maintenance and also require less water. Of course, different combinations of the suggestions are always possible. Depending on the size of the garden, only parts of it can be covered with a flower lawn, while sections that are used intensively can remain classic lawns.