6 Plants for your yard that aren’t grass

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Did you know there are much better ways to bring life to your yard as well as uphold curb appeal besides grass?

There are so many plants for your yard that aren’t just grass. It’s not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but – IMHO – they’re downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they’re crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.

People gravely need to stop treating their lawns, for starters. Secondly, we need to get over this obsession for that perfectly green lawn appeal. For many, this can be super difficult if not impossible (thanks to rental properties and things like HOA). I say…do what you possibly can or can get away with!

Ok, my little rant is over.

Did you know there are much better ways to bring life to your yard as well as uphold curb appeal (besides grass)? These are 6 plants for your yard that aren't grass!

These are 6 of my favorite plants to grow in my yard that isn’t grass

Over the last handful of years, we’ve replaced (er, rather, given up on maintaining) the greater majority of our grass with things like mulch, rocks and other sustainable and easy-to-maintain plants or ground cover. The key is to find plants for your yard that are not only low maintenance but also thrive in warmer climates, especially those with hot summers, and come back year after year.

Best of all, they’re not grass. Sounds good, right?

Sunshine Mimosa

Maybe this one brings a bit of nostalgia for you like it does me. I remember when I was little, I’d love picking these precious, fiber optic-looking flowers…and they were everywhere! The other iconic thing about this plant are its leaves – they open and close during the day and night, and when you touch them.

Sunshine Mimosa still exists, is alive and thrives like crazy. Once you plant it, it never stops growing, despite dying back in the winter and coming back year after year. Best of all, it puts back nutrients into the soil when you give it a fresh trim.

This lush grower acts as a ground cover, so the perfect replacement for grass! And when I say the ongoing meadow of blooms will absolutely Wow you, you will literally feel like you’re in a fairy garden!

There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.
There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.

Hot Lips (Baby Sage)

Hot Lips, or Baby Sage, is actually a recently new plant for me. I purchased a small pot at a local plant event, and it turns out that this Florida native is actually part of the Salvia family. I planted it in October, and that winter Florida had experienced the hardest freeze to date (dipping in the low 20s for a few days), and yet…this plant was one of the very few things in our yard to act like nothing happened.

This bushy, sage-like (and smelling) plant pushes these dainty, cute fuchsia pink flowers (that fade into lighter pink then to white) like it’s nobody’s business. And it’s constantly pushing new growth and flowers. Plus, it’s super easy to propagate from cuttings.

There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.

Honestly, we haven’t trimmed or cut back this bush since we planted it (pictured below), and it is pretty big. Though it may appear rather leggy, it’s still a nice, full bush having done nothing to it. Whether you’re looking for something to take up a lot of space, or to keep more compact, I think Hot Lips does the job!

Oh, and hummingbirds LOVE slurping up nectar from its flowers!

There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.
There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.
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Wild Arugula

One of my pride and joys, if I’m being real. I planted wild arugula from seed many years ago and haven’t done anything to keep it going since. Every year it reseeds itself, giving me a bounty of delicious arugula to feast on in salads. Technically I’d consider this an annual, but it is perennial in the sense that it will repopulate itself by seed year after year.

Wild arugula is slightly different being that is kinda-sorta trails…but still remains a singular bush, so it’s not an invasive trailing plant. So, again, if you do allow it to go to seed, those seeds will inevitably disperse and pop up around your yard.

When the plants mature, the leaves can get to be a really nice size for harvesting, but you can also eat the fresh young leaves as well. I also like to think its peppery flavor keeps many pests away, but who really knows.

There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.

And, if you’re not into it for its bounty, it does eventually go to seed and pushes out these super cute yellow flowers that just love casually blowing in the wind. All in all, these guys don’t mind the heat, but can also thrive in slightly cooler weather, too!

There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.

Perennial Peanut

Just the cutest name for a plant, isn’t it? Similar to the Sunshine Mimosa, Perennial Peanut is typically used as a ground cover and while I have seen this successfully elsewhere (and it look stunning with the flowers in bloom), I can’t seem to get full coverage as a grass replacement like I can the Sunshine Mimosa. It’s more patchy in my yard, which is fine since I don’t fully rely on it for covering ground.

Another cool feature is that the flowers of Perrennial Peanut are actually edible, and they got their name from its taste – like peanuts! While the flavor is more subtle, these flowers are a really nice way to add a pop of color and slightly nutty taste to salads.

Otherwise, I encourage you to consider Perennial Peanut as a grass alternative!

There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.

Buddleia Butterfly Bush

Once I discovered these flowers, I had to have them all…in every color! Not only are the flowers so abundant and vibrant, they smell AMAZING. And, no kidding, this plant attracts butterflies like crazy – since the flowers have been in bloom, I’ve seen more butterflies than ever before.

The other nice thing about the Buddleia is that the plant actually gets fairly tall and bushly if you allow it to, and it constantly wants to push new growth from its nodes. I have yet to discover if it is propogatable from cutting, but I do know that this plant has been pretty indestructable in the Florida warm weather.

There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.
There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.

(Native) Wildflowers

Depending on where you live, everywhere has specific flower types that grow natively. And online you can typically find companies that sell native wild flowers specific to your region or zone in mixes. I went ahead and bought a packet that could technically seed nearly 5,000sq. feet or so, but mostly I wanted to keep my wild flower meadow contained to a grow box first and then other small pockets in my yard.

Don’t worry, more pictures to come.

If you have specific areas of your yard that struggle to grow anything like I do, or dead zones I call them, then native wild flowers might be your best go-to for filling empty spaces instead of buying grass plugs from the store (whomp whomp). The sky’s the limit on creativity when it comes to wildflower seed mixes because you can place them in bordered areas, use in pots, or grow them around the case of large trees.

If you live in Florida, here is where I purchased my native wildflower mix!

There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.
There are so many plants for your yard that aren't just grass. It's not that I think grass lawns are ugly, per say, but - IMHO - they're downright boring and overrated. Moreover, they're crazy unsustainable, poor for the environment and detrimental to wildlife and our individual health through the constant treatment of pesticides and chemicals to maintain them that end up killing beneficial insects and pollinators as well as leeching into our sewage and even our bodies from contact.
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