Skip to content

Top Navigation

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Food and Recipes
  • Culture and Lifestyle
  • Style
  • Holidays & Occasions
  • Home
  • Gardening Ideas
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Southern Living

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      Here are the haircuts you'll be seeing everywhere this year. Read More
    • How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      Learn how to season this Southern kitchen staple in five easy steps. Read More
    • 50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      Not sure what to write in a thank you card? Here's how to show your gratitude with a handwritten note. Read More
  • Food and Recipes

    Food and Recipes

    See All Food and Recipes
    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    It’s not all in the senses, but they sure can help.
    • Recipes
    • Quick and Easy Dinner
    • Kitchen Assistant
    • Casserole
    • Holiday and Occasion Food
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Desserts
    • Healthy and Light
    • Side Dishes
    • Party Food and Drink
    • Appetizers
    • Meat
    • Breakfast
    • BBQ
    • Drinks
    • What's Cooking
  • Culture and Lifestyle

    Culture and Lifestyle

    See All Culture and Lifestyle
    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    Let your besties know how much they mean to you with these unique nicknames.
    • Quotes and Sayings
    • Biscuits and Jam Podcast
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Healthy Living
    • Coastal Living
  • Style

    Style

    See All Style
    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The beginning of a new year often has us all feeling like starting off fresh by taking on better habits, getting rid of old ones, and—most commonly—changing up our look. While others are hitting the squats and going into the salon for a pixie cut, why not start slow and steady with a cozy winter manicure in a color that feels new to you? It takes only a little courage to step outside your usual OPI Lincoln Park After Dark or Essie Bordeaux, which is all you need to kick 2022 off on a fanciful foot.  From new wintry takes on classic dark nail colors to unique pops of color that'll have you feeling the opposite of boring, these are the best nail colors to try this January and tick off all the way into spring. 
    • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Fashion
    • Short Hairstyles
    • Nails
    • Medium Hairstyles
    • Skincare
    • Long Hairstyles
  • Holidays & Occasions

    Holidays & Occasions

    See All Holidays & Occasions
    • Thanksgiving
    • Gifts
    • Christmas
    • Mother's Day
    • Hanukkah
    • New Year's
    • Easter
    • Mardi Gras
    • 4th of July
    • Weddings
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    There's no denying how the pandemic fundamentally changed the world—including how we live (and work) inside our homes. An overall trend toward celebrating the history and originality of our homes is displacing ultramodern aesthetics and sharp lines as we all look to create cozier, colorful, more personalized spaces that better suit our lifestyles. We're turning away from big-box stores and toward vintage items—first, out of necessity due to supply-chain issues, and now, for design reasons—to add charm and character to every room in the house, including the kitchen. Here, interior designers from around the South share their predictions for what's trending in kitchen design for 2022 and beyond.
    • Home Decor Ideas
    • Idea Houses
    • Kitchen Design
    • Before & After Photos
    • Bathroom Design
    • Curb Appeal
    • Bedroom Design
    • DIY Home Decor
    • Color Palettes & Paint
    • House Plans & Builders
    • Inspired Communities
  • Gardening Ideas

    Gardening Ideas

    See All Gardening Ideas
    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    Plus a few strategies for keeping them out-of-doors
    • Container Gardening
    • Gardening Flowers
    • Fruit, Vegetable & Herb Gardens
    • Garden Pests
    • Plant Guides A-Z
    • Indoor Plants
    • Fall Plants
    • Landscaping Ideas
    • The Grumpy Gardener
  • News

    News

    See All News
    • Celebrities
    • Local News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Southern Living
  2. Gardening Ideas
  3. Lose the Lawn!

Lose the Lawn!

Steve Bender, The Grumpy Gardener
By Steve Bender
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Skip gallery slides
FB
Japanese pachysandra
Credit: Getty Images
Don't want grass? Grow a ground cover.Lawns are such fixtures in the South that many communities require lawns be installed whenever a new house is built. But what if you don't want to fool with a lawn? What if your yard to too shady to grow grass or too steep to mow? Then it's time to consider a ground cover. I've divided the following ground covers into two groups – the first five are ones that like sun, while the last five are ones that like shade. Not all will be suited to where you live, so check with your local garden center, nearby botanical garden, or The New Southern Living Garden Book before making your choice.   
Start Slideshow

1 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Asian star jasmine

Asian star jasmine
Credit: Getty Images

(Trachelospermum asiaticum). Attractive, dark green leaves. Tough and covers quickly. Grows 6-8 inches tall and roots as it spreads. Creamy yellow flowers in late spring and early summer. Evergreen.

1 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Common wintercreeper

Common wintercreeper ground cover
Credit: Getty Images

(Euonymus fortunei radicans). Fast-spreading, tough, vining shrub with dark green leaves. Grows about a foot tall and roots as it goes. Will climb plants and structures if given the chance. Evergreen.

2 of 10

3 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Creeping juniper

Creeping juniper ground cover
Credit: Getty Images

(Juniperus horizontalis). Tough, drought-tolerant, evergreen. A popular selection called ‘Wiltonii’ (aka “blue rug”) grows 4 inches tall and up to 8 feet wide.

3 of 10

Advertisement

4 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Rock cotoneaster

Rock cotoneaster
Credit: Getty Images

(Cotoneaster horizontalis). Grows 2-3 feet tall and up to 15 feet wide. White flowers in spring and red berries and leaves in fall. Deciduous.

4 of 10

5 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Yellow creeping Jenny

Creeping Jenny lawn cover
Credit: Getty Images

(Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’). Bright yellow, rounded leaves. Stems spread quickly, rooting as they grow. Forms a mat about 4 inches high. Will climb over small plants it encounters. Loses bright color in shade. Deciduous.

5 of 10

6 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Big blue liriope

Big blue liriope liriope muscari
Credit: Getty Images

(Liriope muscari). Forms large clumps 1-2 feet tall and wide, but doesn’t spread by underground stems. Showy blue, purple, pink, or white summer flowers. Leaves may be solid green or striped with yellow. Cut back to 2 inches tall in late winter to remove ragged leaves.

6 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Carpet bugleweed

Carpet bugleweed ground cover
Credit: Getty Images

(Ajuga reptans). Grows 4 inches tall with green, bronze, purple, or variegated foliage and showy blue, white, or pink flowers. Spreads rapidly by runners to form low mat. Evergreen. Good drainage is essential to avoid disease.

7 of 10

8 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

English ivy

English ivy
Credit: Getty Images

(Hedera helix). Fastest ground cover to spread and fill in. Attractive, lobed, evergreen leaves. Many selections, some with variegated white or yellow foliage. Stems root as they spread. Will climb anything and can be invasive.

8 of 10

9 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Japanese pachysandra

Japanese pachysandra
Credit: Getty Images

(Pachysandra terminalis). Luxurious, glossy, dark green leaves. Grows 8-12 inches high. White flowers in summer. Spreads by runners at a moderate pace. Evergreen.

9 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Mondo grass

mondo grass ground cover
Credit: Getty Images

(Ophiopogon japonicus). Slender, dark green, grasslike leaves form a carpet 6-8 inches tall. Spreads by underground stems to make an excellent, no-mow lawn after several years. Evergreen.

10 of 10

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Steve Bender

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 10 Asian star jasmine
    2 of 10 Common wintercreeper
    3 of 10 Creeping juniper
    4 of 10 Rock cotoneaster
    5 of 10 Yellow creeping Jenny
    6 of 10 Big blue liriope
    7 of 10 Carpet bugleweed
    8 of 10 English ivy
    9 of 10 Japanese pachysandra
    10 of 10 Mondo grass

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print
    Southern Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • About Us
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Books from Southern Living
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    MeredithSouthern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. Southern Living is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab All Rights Reserved. Southern Living may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Southern Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.southernliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    Lose the Lawn!
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.