Re: LAWN REPLACEMENT OPTIONS

Lawn alternatives that I've had the best success with would include Dymondia margaratae and Carex divulsa.  Both have done well for me here in the East Bay with just once a month irrigation as a minimum. In hotter locations besides Berkeley/Oakland/Alameda, it would probably prefer more frequent irrigation, and is not very freeze resistant either.  Phyla nodiflora is another aggressive, drought tolerant ground cover, but it also has more issues with its broad usage.  I've tried several other Carex species such as C. pansa, but none of the others have been as successful long term under varied conditions of shade, sun, drought and occasional winter flooding as has C. divulsa.  Both can easily take light foot traffic.

Suncrest Wholesale Nursery has some newer Carex selections via John Greenlee that might also work for you, but I haven't used them to comment personally.


On Monday, July 14, 2014 6:37 PM, Sylvia Sykora <slsykora@sbcglobal.net> wrote:


This is hardly a new arena for discussion but I'd like to find some real life examples of successful lawn replacement plantings for the San Francisco Bay area, in particular.  I have a small elliptical lawn about 15' x 30, part sun, part shade.  I've tried Yerba Buena and both Fragaria species, the latter somewhat successful but not colonizing at all.  Other plants - such as Thymes - have been a flop.  I'd like something that can take a bit of walking on (a stepping stone path goes across the lawn and plantings that need tending surround it) and will manage with minimal watering (obviously) to look presentable all year round.

I'm grateful for any suggestions that represent tried and true solutions.

Many thanks,
Sylvia Sykora
Oakland, CA at about 1500' , facing West,  with lots of summer fog


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