Gardening with Allen: Easy alternatives to ryegrass lawns
By Allen Wilson
Published: February 19, 2022, 6:00am
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Most homeowners have accepted the presence of off-type wild grasses in our ryegrass lawns. But there are alternatives. (iStock.com)
My lawn is the standard ryegrass that almost everyone has here. I am tired of fighting moss and the invading weeds and wild grasses. Is there another grass or ground cover that requires less time and effort? I would love to find something that does not require weekly mowing.
Most homeowners have accepted the presence of off-type wild grasses in our ryegrass lawns. Once or twice a year treatment with lawn weed killer takes care of the broad leaf weeds. No matter what kind of grass is planted, those wild grass and other weed seeds will blow in and try to grow. There are alternatives that require less mowing, irrigation and fertilization. There are also ground covers that do not need to be mowed. They are usually more expensive to install, but the lower long term maintenance costs outweigh the initial cost of establishment.
The two alternative grasses used for lower maintenance lawns are turf-type tall fescue and fine fescues. Tall fescue has slightly wider blade width than ryegrass and fine fescues have slightly narrower blade width. Both fescue types require less frequent irrigation and fertilization.
Moss grows primarily in shaded locations that may not have sufficient light for good grass growth. More shade-tolerant ground covers could be the best choice in those locations.
PT Lawn Seed (ptlawnseed.com) in Portland has some interesting combinations using these two grasses for low maintenance mixes. Some of them would not be suitable for front yard situations if you have a home owner’s association to satisfy. I have mentioned PT Lawn Seed’s “Fleur de Lawn” before, which contains low-growing flowers and clover with low maintenance grasses. “Herb de Lawn” contains sweet smelling herbs as well as flowers and clover. “Let it Bee” and “Let it Grow” are nonmowing alternative mixes that are probably limited to back yards. Their meadow mixes are taller and are more suitable to be viewed from a distance.
The most widely used ground cover for low maintenance situations is kinnikinick. It is a native plant that is well adapted to our climate. It is quite drought tolerant and weed resistant once established. It grows about 3 to 4 inches high in full sun to partial shade.
Vinca minor is another widely used ground cover that is weed resistant once established. It needs regular irrigation to thrive. It grows 2 to 3 inches high and has blue flowers in early spring.
Lamium is a dwarf ground cover that blooms from early spring to fall. The variegated silver and green leaves are very attractive. Varieties with white, pink, lavender and crimson flowers are available. Lamium does best with morning sun and afternoon shade. It grows to about 3 to 5 inches high.
Carpet Bugle (Ajuga) is an excellent choice for shady areas (it also does reasonably well in sunny areas). The most popular varieties have bronzy leaves, although there are green and tricolor leaf varieties. Small, blue spike flowers are produced in the spring. Typical height is 3 to 5 inches, although there are some large leaf cultivars that are taller and have larger flowers.
Other ground covers are on display at full-service nurseries and garden stores.
Allen Wilson is a Vancouver gardening specialist. allenw98663@yahoo.com
