Shorter flowers: These species represent flower types that attract bees of various sizes and nectar needs. These flowers are low-growing and tolerate mowing down to 3 inches.

• Creeping thyme
• Self heal
• Ground plum

Taller flowers: These bloom above typical mowing heights, but make nice additions to gardens or border areas.

• Prairie groundsel
• Lanceleaf coreopsis
• Calico aster

Grasses: Mix in low-maintenance grasses that require less mowing and maintenance.

• Fine fescues

Some Blue Thumb Partners offer pre-made pollinator lawn seed mixes. For additional turf alternative plant lists, check out our Plant Finder tool and Resources page.

The fescues used in low-maintenance lawns are often referred to as “low mow” or “no mow” grasses. Proprietary seed mixes usually include:

• Hard fescue
• Sheep fescue
• Chewings fescue
• Creeping red fescue

For additional turf alternative plant lists, check out our Plant Finder tool and Resources page.

Many different plants and plant palettes could be used to create perennial ground cover. Below are a handful of hardy forbs and grasses that could be used together to form an attractive and low-growing ground cover. But don’t stop there! There are hundreds of native plants that could potentially thrive in your yard.

• Calico aster
• Common blue violet
• Creeping thyme
• Dutch white clover
• Ground plum
• Lanceleaf Coreopsis
• Prairie smoke
• Pussytoes
• Self heal
• Fine fescues
• Sideoats grama

For additional turf alternative plant lists, check out our Plant Finder tool and Resources page.

Overseed a traditional lawn with pollinator friendly seeds

• Mow your lawn as short as you can — 1 inch or less. Rake or otherwise remove grass clippings to expose as much soil as possible.
• Aerating the lawn is recommended, but not required. It can be done with a shovel or machine. It helps improve seed-to-soil contact and creates good conditions for seed germination and healthy growth.
• Spread seed over the yard at appropriate seeding rates:
  • White clover at 1.1 ounces (2.5 tablespoons) / 1000 ft²
  • Self heal at 1.2 ounces (2.5 tablespoons) / 1000 ft²
  • Creeping thyme at .16 ounce (1 teaspoon) / 1000 ft²
  • (Optional) Fine fescue at 4 lbs / 1000 ft²
  • You can mix these small amounts of seed into and apply with compost. Compost can be applied at a rate up to 40 lbs / 50 ft² of lawn, and improves seed-to-soil contact and germination rates.

Build from the bottom up

• Start with a “blank slate” by removing existing grass. We don’t recommend most herbicides, due to their impact on water quality. Below are some alternatives:
  • Sheet mulching uses cardboard to smother grass.
  • A sod cutter is a non-chemical method that can cleanly remove grass and its roots—but is hard work, and you can lose a lot of organic matter.
  • Solarization is a non-chemical method that covers the area with plastic and using the sun and lack of water to kill grass. This uses a lot of plastic, takes time, plastic degrades and may release toxins, and is not practical on a large scale”sod.
  • For homeowners, 20% acetic acid or Phydura, a more natural herbicide, are more ecologically responsible alternatives to glyphosate. It kills all vegetation but leaves roots for stabilization and reseeds easily.
  • Once you’ve removed or killed your previous grass, follow the directions above to (optionally) aerate your lawn and seed fine fescue and flowers at recommended rates.

Overseed a traditional lawn with low maintenance species

• Mow your lawn very short—1” or less. Rake or remove grass clippings to expose as much soil as possible.
• Aerating the lawn is recommended, but not required. It can be done with a shovel or machine and helps improve seed-to-soil contact and create good conditions for seed germination and healthy growth.
• Spread fescue seed at a rate of 3 lbs / 1000 ft². For best results, apply a very thin layer of compost (40 lbs / 200 ft²) over seed to improve seed-to-soil contact, and/or a thin layer of straw to limit erosion.
• Do not fertilize or water frequently, and the fine fescues will eventually out-compete the existing turf.

Build from the bottom up

• To start from a blank slate you must remove existing grass. A large area of bare soil is easily eroded by runoff and provides fertile ground for weeds to easily grow. Herbicides are not recommended because of their impacts on water quality. All methods have pros and cons. Below are alternatives to chemical removal:
  • Sheet mulching uses cardboard to smother the grass.
  • A sod cutter is a non-chemical method that can cleanly remove grass and its roots—but is hard work, and you can lose a lot of organic matter.
  • Solarization is a non-chemical method that covers the area with plastic and using the sun and lack of water to kill grass. This uses a lot of plastic, takes time, plastic degrades and may release toxins, and is not practical on a large scale.
  • For homeowners, 20% acetic acid or Phydura is an ecologically responsible alternative to glyphosate. It kills all vegetation but leaves roots for stabilization and reseeds easily.
  • Optional: Aerate the area by removing cores of soil. This helps air, water, and nutrients get to where they’re needed most. Reseed with mix of fine fescue at a rate of 6lbs / 1000 ft²
• Water daily for 10-15 minutes to maintain moisture for a week, then every other day for a week to encourage germination. Water deeply weekly, as roots establish, then ensure your yard receives at least 1” water a month from rain or irrigation to maintain green.

Build from the bottom up

• To start from a blank slate you must remove existing grass. A large area of bare soil is easily eroded by runoff and provides fertile ground for weeds to easily grow. Herbicides are not recommended because of their impacts on water quality. All methods have pros and cons. Below are alternatives to chemical removal:
  • Sheet mulching uses cardboard to smother the grass.
  • A sod cutter is a non-chemical method that can cleanly remove grass and its roots—but is hard work, and you can lose a lot of organic matter.
  • Solarization is a non-chemical method that covers the area with plastic and using the sun and lack of water to kill the grass. This uses a lot of plastic, takes time, plastic degrades and may release toxins, and is not practical on a large scale.
  • For homeowners, 20% acetic acid or Phydura is an ecologically responsible alternative to glyphosate. It kills all vegetation but leaves roots for stabilization and reseeds easily.

• Once you’ve removed or killed your previous grass, it’s time to plant your ground cover. Many native plants can be purchased in plugs, which is economical for most homeowner projects. Direct seeding is often made difficult by low germination rates.

Watering

Water newly seeded lawns daily with a sprinkler for 5 minutes in the morning and early evening for the first 2 weeks, then reduce to every 2-3 days thereafter for the next month. Continue to monitor rainfall and the lawn and provide supplemental water if needed.

Mowing

If you mow, keep it at least 3” tall. Taller lawns shade the ground, preventing too much moisture from evaporating while also discouraging weeds from sprouting. Also, holding off on mowing while flowers are blooming increases the amount of forage available for pollinators.

Fertilizing

White clover fixes atmospheric nitrogen into the ground, reducing the need for fertilizer. Get your soil tested to know what nutrients are most lacking. Don’t forget that whatever chemicals your lawn doesn’t use up get washed into our water.

Weeding

Most herbicides won’t be able to differentiate between the flowers you want to keep and those you want to remove. Hand tools are effective for weeding.

For more year-round pocket planting installation and maintenance information, check out the Resilient Yards Online Learning Series.

Watering

Water newly seeded lawns daily with a sprinkler for 5 minutes in the morning and early evening for the first 2 weeks, then reduce to every 2-3 days thereafter for the next month. Continue to monitor rainfall and the lawn and provide supplemental water if needed. To maintain green throughout the growing season, your low maintenance lawn should receive 1” of water a month (as compared to 1” water per week for Kentucky bluegrass).

Mowing

If you mow, keep it at least 3” tall. Taller lawns shade the ground, preventing too much moisture from evaporating while also discouraging weed seeds from sprouting.

Weeding

When you seed from scratch you will have weeds, so you will need to weed and seed bare spots as it establishes.

For more year-round pocket planting installation and maintenance information, check out the Resilient Yards Online Learning Series.

Weeding

Especially as the plants establish themselves, you’ll need to be vigilant about pulling weeds. It may require a trained eye to tell the difference between a beneficial plant and one you want to remove. Most herbicides won’t be able to differentiate, either. Once established, your ground cover should be thick and healthy enough to suppress and out-compete most weeds.

Watering

As plants sprout and grow in their first year, ensure that they receive at least an inch of water a week. Once established, your ground cover should have roots extensive enough to find water when they need it—if you find that an area in your yard is too dry for the plants you’re trying to grow, look into more drought-tolerant native species.

For more year-round pocket planting installation and maintenance information, check out the Resilient Yards Online Learning Series.