Lawn and Lawn Alternative Resources
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Turf is the most common groundcover in American yards but it is not always the best choice. The following resources will help you determine the conditions where turf is the right option, best turf varieties for Chatham County and the surrounding area, and alternatives to turf grasses for the NC Piedmont.
Review slides and Handouts :
- Sustainable Lawns and Lawn Alternatives (adapted from Charlotte Glen) PDF
- Lawns and Lawn Alternatives Handout PDF
Extension Gardener Handbook: Chapter 9 is all about lawns.
Download a lawn maintenance calendar for your turf type to learn the right way to manage your lawn:
More resources from NCSU’s TurfFiles website:
- Carolina Lawns: Guide to Quality Turf
- Organic Lawn Care, download this 32 page guide from Extension
- Turfgrass Pest Management Manual, 108 page guide to common weeds, pests, and lawn diseases
- NCSU Recommended Tall Fescue Varieties for NC
Looking for a source of North Carolina grown sod? Visit the NC Sod Producers’ Association website for a directory by county
Learn more about meadows as a lawn alternative:
- Wildlife Friendly Alternatives to Lawns (Penn State Extension)
- Establishing and Maintaining Ornamental Flower Meadows (University of Maryland)
- Alternatives to Lawns (University of Maryland Extension)
- Smart Lawns for Pollinators (Michigan State University Extension)
Seed sources for meadow and native grass mixes:
- Mellow Marsh Farm, located in Siler City
- Ernst Conservation Seed offers an NC Piedmont meadow mix
- Roundstone Native Seed – when selecting from their meadow mixes, the NC Piedmont is in region 3
- Prairie Moon Nursery and Prairie Nursery both offer seed mixes and plants
Thinking about planting a tall fescue-clover blend lawn? Learn more:
- University of Maryland: Microclover-Tall Fescue Lawns
- Penn State Extension: Questions about microclover
Learn more about groundcovers and ornamental grasses as an alternative to lawns:
- Explore groundcover options with NC Extension’s Plants Database
- Clemson Extension groundcover fact sheet
- Classy Groundcovers is an online nursery specializing in groundcovers. Their catalog is a great guide to common groundcovers
- Explore ornamental grasses with NC Extension’s Plants Database
- Clemson Extension ornamental grass fact sheet
- Explore the many grass species offered by Hoffman Nursery, a wholesale nursery in Rougemont, NC
Additional options to minimize lawns:
- Reduce your lawn by expanding mulch around trees and beds. Learn more about mulch options (N.C. Cooperative Extension)
- Trees are one of the best options for slopes and other difficult to maintain areas. Large areas can be planted inexpensively with tree seedlings available from the NC Forest Service. Orders should be placed in the summer-fall for delivery in the winter. Visit the NC Tree Store to see what is available
Use Extension Search to find research based information from Cooperative Extension systems across the U.S.