Recently, I stumbled upon a very good video on Tiktok. This eco-friendly Tiktoker has started a new challenge called #nolawn – sounds crazy, am I right?
However, it is not as crazy as it seems!
She created a sustainable landscape filled with colorful flowers that are also great for attracting pollinators and other beneficial insects. As you can see from her video, she transformed her lawn from a dry patch of dirt to a lush green oasis in only two years.
As shown in the video, Lan got rid of her front lawn to reduce water consumption.
Then, she wanted to grow creeping thyme but that didn’t work. She got some stonecrop instead, and it started growing like crazy!
Lan also planted some other low-growing ground cover plants that are also drought tolerant so she wouldn’t have to worry about watering them constantly.
You can see the greenery that has grown just as the snow has melted. The plants still haven’t started blooming; but once they do, they will attract lots of pollinators!
The great news is that these low-growing plants are approved by dogs too. Just look at this cutie:
“Gorgeous & healthy”, “Great idea”, “This is a wise and beautiful decision”, are just some of the comments by experienced gardeners on Tiktok!
One gardener also suggested getting native strawberries because they are great ground covers, and they are so yummy.
So, besides occasional pruning and watering before the plants are established, there is not much work to do here; unlike lawns, where you constantly have to water and apply fertilizer and pesticides that can potentially harm the ecosystem (plus they are quite pricey, too!).
Growing drought-tolerant native plants instead of lawns has gained popularity among homeowners. As Lan explained in her video, it reduces water usage, requires less maintenance, saves some money, and also creates a great environment for local wildlife!
If you need inspiration for plants, then check out: 27 Drought Tolerant Plants For The Driest Environments
Besides planting wildflowers and drought tolerant plants, some gardeners even start growing vegetable gardens instead of front lawns. Here’s how Marika did it in her video:
This is also a good idea – you get to enjoy delicious veggies and still have some greenery in your front yard!