How to create an alternative lawn over very large areas

Creating a dry garden by choosing low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plants can lead to significant savings, not only in terms of environmental sustainability but also in terms of long-term resources for those who care for the garden. However, doing so requires a lot of effort, especially when dealing with very large areas. There are affordable ways to create alternative lawns over large areas, drawing on everything we have learned from years of working with dry gardens and, above all, learning that managing a very large garden does not necessarily mean choosing vast expanses of green lawn, but rather considering more sustainable alternatives for both the environment and those who care for it.



Establishment trials on small areas

To reduce the effort required to cover very large areas with alternative lawn plants, the first step is to conduct establishment trials. This is an essential step when planting a new lawn, even on smaller areas, but it becomes indispensable for very large gardens. Conducting different tests in small areas of the garden allows you to assess how each variety performs in that soil, as well as which combination of lawn plants to choose based on the lawn's requirements. Only after evaluating the results should you proceed with the full project.

You can also consider working in stages instead of covering the entire area all at once, so that you can spread out the financial cost and maintenance effort and evaluate the techniques and varieties to use as you go.

Finally, a great idea for managing a very large lawn is to reduce the density of plants per square meter: generally, for our varieties of alternative lawn plants, we recommend 10–15 plants per square meter. However, for large areas, and depending on the varieties selected, you can reduce the quantity to as few as 5–8 plants. Obviously, this choice saves money, but you must allow for longer coverage times, and it will take one or two years to achieve a full lawn.

Reducing the areas designated for lawn

Covering large areas exclusively with alternative lawn plants may not be an effective choice. The image of vast expanses of green lawn in a "football pitch" style stems from an idea of a garden that is not very sustainable and requires much more effort and maintenance, as well as a reliance on water resources that is far from sustainable. There are numerous alternatives, all with low water requirements, that can reduce the area designated for lawn and enrich your garden with different zones, making it even more original and pleasant to live in.

First of all, you can include small shrubs and low mounds of plants, which enrich the garden's structure and make it even more original. Another good idea is to plant fruit trees, choosing varieties that are most drought-tolerant. We usually recommend figs, heirloom fruits, and pomegranates, which are highly resistant because their roots grow very deep, allowing them to find the necessary water resources in the soil. Finally, olive trees, also found at the BotanicalDryGarden, are an ideal choice for enriching the garden with drought-resistant trees that also produce extremely valuable fruit.

In other areas of the garden, you can include sensory paths with aromatic herbs, which are not only useful in the kitchen but will also enrich the garden's biodiversity and fill it with incredible fragrances. You can consider plants such as lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage, helichrysum, Lippia citrodora, Artemisia, Salicornia, and Tulbaghia.

Finally, one of the ideal alternatives for reducing the area dedicated to lawn is choosing a Gravel Garden. It is literally a gravel garden, and it represents an extremely ecological alternative that adapts to many types of soil and requires very little water and maintenance. It consists of a patch of earth in which mostly Mediterranean plants grow within an area bordered by gravel. The Gravel Garden has numerous advantages, such as excellent weed control and adaptability to shaded areas of the garden that receive less than half a day's worth of sunlight.