Eco-friendly solutions to replace grass and fill flowerbeds

Having a uniform green lawn is no longer ideal, especially in this era of climate change. We are turning to more ecological and lower maintenance ground cover options. As for flowerbeds, we are looking for plants that will be resilient to the heat and torrential rains that punctuate our summers. Here are the experts’ suggestions.

Diverse lawn

Exit the Kentucky Bluegrass lawn, dark green and dense. We prefer a diversified lawn. We can find premixed packets of various seeds. “In our Quebec context, we can take all the mixtures that will have fescue, other species of grasses and clover,” suggests Emile Forest, co-founder of Nouveaux Voisins, an organization that offers pro-diversity landscaping services. Clover, for example, will nourish the soil and add nitrogen to it.

“A diverse lawn is the best of all possible worlds,” says Joshua Jarry, horticultural information officer at the Botanical Garden. “You add to biodiversity, you help pollinators, you help the resilience of your lawn’s ecosystem, and you keep all the habitable space on your lawn.”

Wild thyme

“Thyme is a plant that is very often recommended, because it can be exposed to the sun and it produces beautiful, striking flowers, more or less melliferous,” explains Joshua Jarry. In addition, wild thyme is a plant that grows close to the ground and creates a fairly dense plant carpet.

Thyme will nevertheless be less resistant to trampling than lawns – just like other types of ground covers, he explains. With this in mind, it is important to question the use of our yard. Thyme can also attract bumblebees, wasps and bees, so we refrain from covering children’s playgrounds with it. Thyme also requires planting in dry areas, says Emile Forest.

Lesser periwinkle

Our lawn is not growing because there is too much shade? We can try replacing it with periwinkle, which is ideal for spaces to be covered under trees or undergrowth gardens. This ground cover with evergreen, green and shiny foliage does not exceed the lawn and “produces pretty flowers”, says Joshua Jarry.

The plant can be invasive, warns the horticultural information officer at the Botanical Garden. Therefore, avoid planting the small periwinkle near a natural environment or too close to neighbors.

Milkweed

Want a hardy plant in your flowerbeds? Make room for milkweed, says Jarry. Emile Forest agrees: the native plant “tolerates interesting stresses in an urban environment,” he explains. Milkweed can grow in poor soil and likes sun. “It’s good for pollinators and is essential for monarchs,” adds Jarry.

However, avoid planting it if you have a small garden; milkweed tends to colonize a space. So keep it in a place where it cannot harm other plants.

Hosta

Do you really like big foliage in your garden? We’re aiming for the hosta, an “incredibly resilient” plant, says Josha Jarry. “There are many varieties,” he says. “You can have some with foliage in colors that range from pale green to dark green to yellow.” Some hostas produce flowers, which can be melliferous. He recommends planting them in a shady spot.

Monarda

Monarda is an interesting addition to our garden, according to Emile Forest. The plant is “a champion of biodiversity” and is particularly “vigorous,” he exclaims. With its flowers, red, purple, pink or white, it attracts bees and hummingbirds.

Monarda, on the other hand, can be invasive. “You need a fairly large garden” to accommodate it, says the co-founder of Nouveaux Voisins.