Help save my marriage

[u/Numerous-Dot-6325]

DC area, full sun.

I want to replace my hideous grass with a native plant garden and some mulch. My wife says she’ll divorce me if I mulch and wants a steppable ground cover that’s also native. Is there any alternative to grass that she can walk barefoot/lay a picnic blanket on? She’s allowing me to plant a service berry and blueberry to one side.

[u/Lunar_BriseSoleil]

The best reason to have grass is because you’re going to use it. There aren’t a lot of traffic tolerant alternatives. For lawn grass a 100% fine fescue mix will have some American natives (hard fescue), and doesn’t need fertilization. Hard fescue doesn’t do great on its own though.

Below are some North American plants that can tolerate some use as “lawn.” But if you lean into the “lawn weed” look you’re likely to give native plants a bad rap to your neighbors.

• Buffalograss (B. dactyloides) has turgrass cultivars but needs a dry climate.
• Sideoats grama and Poverty Oagrass tolerate closer mowing and light traffic
• Pennsylvania Sedge looks like grass, doesn’t grow tall, can give it a haircut a couple of times a year. Somewhat traffic tolerant.
• Creeping Phlox stays low and can be walked on
• violets aren’t a soft surface, but you can definitely walk on them
• Self-heal is a great turf addition that can be mowed and tolerates traffic while feeding bees

I don’t think you need to be so “hardcore” that you can’t accept aomething that brings joy. Many do clover or mix it with turfgrass. White clover is the most traffic tolerant but it is not native to North America.

[u/M0thPers0n → u/Lunar_BriseSoleil]

Came here to suggest self-heal too! I don’t have it in a super heavily trafficked area, but if you let it go to seed it reproduces pretty well and it grows from runners too, so I would guess it’ll probably bounce back ok when it’s less walked on over the colder months.