What Can I Plant Where Grass Won't Grow? 7 Better Alternatives to Lawn
10 min read

What Can I Plant Where Grass Won't Grow? 7 Better Alternatives to Lawn

What Can I Plant Where Grass Won't Grow? 7 Better Alternatives to Lawn

Sometimes the best way to fix a terrible lawn...

is to stop trying to grow a lawn.

There. We said it.

Because there are patches of Australian backyards where grass has made its position abundantly clear.

It does not want to be there.

You've seeded it.

Turfed it.

Fed it.

Watered it.

Threatened it.

Perhaps stood over the remaining three blades wondering why the neighbour's lawn appears to have been raised by the Royal Botanic Gardens.

And still...

Dirt.

Before you throw another bag of lawn seed at the problem, there's a much better question to ask:

Why won't grass grow there in the first place?

Because once you know that, you might discover that lawn wasn't the best plant for the spot anyway.

First: Work Out Why Your Grass Is Struggling

Grass isn't one plant with one set of requirements.

Different turf varieties tolerate different conditions.

But generally, persistent lawn failure points to something about the site.

It could be:

  • too much shade

  • competition from tree roots

  • poor or compacted soil

  • drainage problems

  • too much heat

  • not enough water

  • heavy foot traffic

  • a difficult slope

  • or simply a spot where maintaining lawn makes absolutely no sense

And this matters.

Because replacing struggling lawn with another plant that hates exactly the same conditions won't solve anything.

Don't replace the grass until you understand why the grass failed.

Then we can choose something better.

1. Zen Grass® — When You Want the Look Without the Mower

Let's start with the obvious one.

What if you still want something that gives you that soft, green, grassy look...

But you don't particularly want a lawn?

Enter Zen Grass®.

This Australian native is a completely different proposition from traditional turf.

Rather than creating a lawn that needs regular mowing, Zen Grass can be used as a low-growing landscape alternative where you want that soft mass-planted effect.

This is particularly interesting for people who like the look of lawn but have absolutely no emotional attachment to spending Saturday morning pushing a mower around.

Use it as a design plant rather than expecting it to behave exactly like traditional turf.

That's an important distinction.

Best for: Low-maintenance landscaped areas where you want a soft, grass-like effect without traditional lawn maintenance.

2. Mondo Grass — For Those Awkward Shadier Spots

Sometimes lawn isn't failing because you've done anything wrong.

It's simply not getting enough light.

This is where Mondo Grass becomes incredibly useful.

Rather than continually trying to persuade turf to thicken up in a spot it doesn't enjoy, Mondo can create a rich green ground layer through suitable shaded and partly shaded areas.

It looks particularly good:

  • beside pathways

  • around stepping stones

  • beneath established planting

  • along garden edges

  • in sheltered courtyards

And because it has that deep green, grassy appearance, you still get softness without trying to maintain conventional lawn.

Best for: Shadier areas where traditional turf struggles and a green ground layer is still wanted.

3. Mini Mondo Grass — When You Want to Go Really Low

Mini Mondo takes the same idea...

And drops it closer to the ground.

This little plant is brilliant when you don't want another shrub, another feature or another thing demanding attention.

You just want green.

Used repeatedly, Mini Mondo Grass can create a beautifully neat ground layer around pavers, stepping stones and smaller garden spaces.

It's particularly useful where scale matters.

A big strappy plant might overwhelm a narrow area.

Mini Mondo quietly fills it.

No fanfare required.

Best for: Small spaces, between pavers, edging and low green groundcover in suitable light conditions.

4. Scaevola Purple Fusion™ — If You'd Rather Have Flowers Than Lawn

Now we're getting interesting.

Who decided the alternative to lawn had to be green?

If you've got a sunny garden area where you don't need to walk, play cricket or park a trampoline...

Why are we mowing it?

Scaevola Purple Fusion™ gives you a completely different option.

It's a low-spreading Australian native groundcover that can create broad coverage while producing beautiful purple fan-shaped flowers.

Suddenly the patch of garden that used to contain miserable grass isn't something you're trying to hide.

It's flowering.

This is especially useful around:

  • retaining walls

  • slopes

  • garden bed edges

  • larger landscaped areas

  • places where you want plants to spill and soften hard surfaces

Best for: Sunny non-traffic areas where you want spreading groundcover and flowers rather than lawn.

5. Carpobrotus Aussie Rambler™ — For the Tough Stuff

Some areas don't need delicate.

They need a plant prepared to clock on and get the job done.

Aussie Rambler™ Carpobrotus is a spreading native groundcover useful for tough landscape applications where coverage matters.

Its fleshy foliage and spreading habit create a very different look from lawn, which is precisely the point.

Not every patch of ground needs to pretend to be turf.

For suitable sunny, exposed areas, a tough groundcover can make far more sense.

Best for: Tough, sunny landscape areas, banks and places where broad ground coverage is more important than creating a traditional lawn look.

6. Lomandra — Stop Thinking Groundcover Altogether

Here's another option people often overlook.

Don't replace the lawn with another lawn-like plant.

Turn it into a garden.

Mass planting plants such as Tanika® Lomandra can completely change an area that previously existed purely because someone once decided every empty patch of ground needed turf.

Instead of one flat green surface, you get:

  • movement

  • texture

  • height

  • habitat

  • structure

And importantly...

You don't mow it every week.

Repeated Lomandra planting can be particularly effective in modern Australian landscapes, on larger blocks, around driveways and through areas where a tougher planted landscape makes more sense than maintaining lawn.

Best for: Larger areas where you want to replace lawn with a structured, low-maintenance planted landscape.

7. Dianella — When You Want Something Between Lawn and Garden

Dianella, including compact varieties such as Little Jess™ Improved, can be brilliant when you want to convert lawn into something more landscaped without filling the space with large shrubs.

You still get that strappy, grassy movement.

But now you've added form, flowers and seasonal interest.

Repeated Dianella can create rhythm across a landscape and works particularly well combined with Lomandra, groundcovers and other hardy plants.

This is where lawn replacement becomes less about finding one substitute for grass...

And more about creating a better garden.

Best for: Mass planting, pathways, contemporary landscapes and areas where you want a grassy feel with more structure.

But Can You Walk on These Plants?

This is important.

A lawn alternative is not automatically a lawn replacement.

If your kids play football there...

Keep lawn.

If the dog does 400 laps of it every afternoon...

Keep that in mind.

If it's the main path to the clothesline...

You need something designed to handle traffic, or you need stepping stones or a pathway.

Plants such as Mondo and Mini Mondo can work beautifully around pavers, but that doesn't mean every groundcover should be treated like turf.

Before replacing your lawn, ask:

What does this area actually need to do?

If the answer is “nothing — I literally just mow it”...

Now we're talking.

What About Under Trees?

This deserves special mention because lawn beneath established trees is a battle many gardeners know well.

The problem may not only be shade.

The tree is also competing for:

  • moisture

  • nutrients

  • root space

So don't simply choose something labelled “shade tolerant” and assume the problem is solved.

Look at the actual conditions.

Is it damp shade?

Dry shade?

Filtered sunlight?

Dense shade?

Once you understand the site, plants such as Mondo or Liriope may be useful options where their requirements suit the conditions.

What About Slopes?

This is another place where maintaining lawn can become ridiculous.

If mowing involves leaning sideways at 37 degrees while questioning every decision that brought you to this point...

Perhaps the slope doesn't need lawn.

Groundcovers and mass planting can help turn slopes into landscaped areas instead.

Plants such as Scaevola Purple Fusion™, Aussie Rambler™, Lomandra and Dianella may be worth considering depending on the conditions and the job the planting needs to perform.

And suddenly...

You don't have a difficult lawn.

You have a garden.

Don't Replace Lawn Plant-for-Plant

This is probably the most important part of the whole article.

If you remove 30 square metres of lawn, you don't necessarily need 30 square metres of one replacement plant.

Mix it up.

Perhaps the old lawn becomes:

A stepping-stone path.

Mass-planted Lomandra.

A sweep of Dianella.

Groundcover through the front.

A feature shrub or small tree.

Suddenly you've added layers.

Movement.

Flowers.

Habitat.

Texture.

And you've removed a job from Saturday morning.

That's a pretty decent trade.

How Many Plants Will I Need?

This depends on the mature size of the plant, recommended spacing and how quickly you'd like the area to fill.

Plant too closely and you'll create unnecessary competition and expense.

Plant too widely and you may be looking at bare ground for years.

This is exactly why we're developing our Plant Spacing Calculator — to make it easier to work out quantities for garden beds, mass planting and hedges.

In the meantime, check the planting rates on individual plant pages and calculate quantities using the recommended spacing for that variety.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I grow instead of lawn in Australia?

The best alternative depends on why you want to replace the lawn and the conditions of the site. Options can include low-growing plants such as Zen Grass®, Mondo Grass and Mini Mondo, flowering groundcovers such as Scaevola Purple Fusion™, or mass-planted Lomandra and Dianella.

What can I plant where grass won't grow in shade?

First determine why the lawn is struggling. In shaded areas, Mondo Grass, Mini Mondo and other shade-tolerant plants may be useful depending on moisture, root competition and the amount of available light.

What is a good no-mow alternative to grass?

For areas that don't need to function as traditional turf, plants such as Zen Grass®, groundcovers or mass-planted ornamental grasses can remove the need for regular mowing. The best choice depends on traffic and site conditions.

Can groundcovers completely replace lawn?

Yes, in some non-traffic areas. However, most groundcovers don't tolerate the same level of walking, playing or pet traffic as suitable turf varieties, so consider how the area will actually be used.

What can I replace lawn with on a slope?

Depending on the climate, soil, sunlight and steepness, spreading groundcovers or mass planting with plants such as Lomandra and Dianella can be alternatives to maintaining turf on difficult slopes.

The Question We'd Ask Before Replacing Any Lawn

Not:

“What's the best lawn alternative?”

Ask:

“What do I actually need this patch of ground to do?”

If you need somewhere for kids to play...

Lawn is brilliant.

If you need somewhere for the dog to run...

Lawn may still be the answer.

But if you're mowing 40 square metres of grass every week simply because nobody ever considered doing anything else with it...

You have options.

And perhaps the solution to your terrible lawn isn't better lawn care at all.

Perhaps you don't need a lawn there.

Now that's a gardening problem we're very happy to solve.