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Australian grasses that replace lawn and still look intentional

Australian grasses that replace lawn and still look intentional

Lawns are great if you want to kick a football, if you have dogs, or if you want something that can handle a lot of foot traffic. But more and more people are realising that their lawns simply aren’t worth the effort to maintain. Lawns take a lot of water to stay green in dry periods, dead patches need diagnosing and amending (or ignoring), and every couple of weeks you need to mow it otherwise the neighbours complain.

Perhaps you would prefer a native grassland type aesthetic that embraces natural shapes instead of a manicured appearance. It’d be a whole lot less work, that’s for sure.

If you’re looking for Australian grasses and tufts to replace your lawn with, this guide will show you some of the most reputable cultivars favoured by professional landscape architects and designers, as well as provide links for you to purchase them online through several of the most reputable Australian online retailers.

What replaces lawn successfully

  • Plants that cover ground consistently
  • Grasses and grass-like tufts that tolerate occasional foot traffic between tufts
  • A look that feels deliberate rather than overgrown
  • Cultivars tested over long time spans for performance in urban landscapes

Native tufts for lawn alternatives

Native low-mow turf

Zoysia native hybrid ‘ZOY01’ PBR Trade Name Ozbreed Zen Grass®

Zen Grass

First, I want to mention this native lawn grass that only needs mowing once per year in Brisbane. I wish we’d had this installed around playgrounds when I was working in council maintenance. It has fine, dense foliage with a low mounding habit and requires very little maintenance. It is the ideal lawn “alternative” for someone who actually does want a lawn.

Poa spp. ‘POL12’ PBR Trade Name Eskdale Blue™

Eskdale Blue

Blue-leaved tussock grass forming soft mounded clumps; ideal for mass planting and low-maintenance gardens

Poa poiformis PP500 Trade Name Kingsdale™

Kingsdale

Compact Poa with bright soft flowers and fine foliage; ideal for mass/mixed planting and native gardens

Poa spp. ‘POL11’ PBR Trade Name Rustic™

Fine-leaf native grass with rustic-brown seed heads; drought tolerant and well-suited to landscaping

Cenchrus

Cenchrus purpurascens ‘PA300’ Trade Name Nafray®

Nafray

Non‑invasive native grass with fine texture; drought/flood tolerant and showy plumes

Cenchrus purpurascens Trade Name Cream Lea®

Cream Lea

Variegated Australian grass with green and cream striped leaves; compact and easy-care ornamental grass

Cenchrus purpurascens ‘PAV300’ PBR Trade Name Pennstripe™

Pennstripe

Variegated dwarf fountain grass with stripy leaves; clump forming and non-invasive

Lomandra

Lomandra labill. ‘LM600’ PBR Trade Name Evergreen Baby™

Evergreen Baby

Dense compact Lomandra with fine foliage; hardy and tolerant of drought and wet soil

Lomandra ‘LM301’ PBR Trade Name Grass Tree 310™

Grass Tree

Quick-growing mat rush bred to resemble a young grass tree; tall narrow habit

Lomandra longifolia ‘MURU’ PBR Trade Name Great White™

Great White

Variegated Lomandra with green-and-cream striped leaves and larger flowers

Lomandra hystrix ‘LHBYF’ PBR Trade Name Katie Belles™

Katie Belles

Tall Lomandra longifolia with graceful weeping foliage and large fragrant flower spikes; ideal feature or mass planting

Lomandra longifolia ‘KATRINUS DELUXE’ PBR

KATRINUS DELUXE

Improved dense form of Katrinus with masses of yellow flowers and uniform habit

Lomandra longifolia ‘LM360’ PBR Trade Name Lady Tanika®

Dwarf form of Tanika; neat clumping green foliage; sterile and disease-resistant

Lomandra longifolia ‘LM400’ Trade Name Nyalla®

Trunkless grass-tree-like Lomandra; fast-growing and coastal tolerant; good for erosion control

Lomandra fluviatilis ‘LM380’ PBR Trade Name Shara Blue™

Shara Blue

Blue-green version of Shara; compact erosion-control habit; resilient in exposed or wet sites

Lomandra fluviatilis ‘ABU7’ PBR Trade Name Shara™

Compact Lomandra with very fine leaves; ideal for erosion control and humid or wet soils

Lomandra hystrix ‘LHWP’ PBR Trade Name Tropic Cascade™

tropic cascade

Mid-sized Lomandra hystrix with weeping deep-green foliage and fragrant yellow flowers; suits wet or dry soils

Lomandra confertifolia ‘SIR5’ PBR Trade Name Wingarra®

Wingarra

Low-growing Lomandra confertifolia with fine blue-green foliage; very tough

Dianella

Dianella caerulea ‘DCNC3’ PBR Trade Name Baby Breeze™

Dwarf form of Breeze® flax lily; mat-forming and weed-suppressing with blue flowers

Dianella caerulea DCNCO Trade Name Breeze®

Breeze

Mid-sized Dianella with broad green leaves and masses of blue flowers; extremely tough and low-maintenance

Dianella caerulea DBB03 Trade Name Cassa Blue®

Cassa Blue

Native blue flax lily with broad steel-blue leaves and tall slender stems

Dianella hybrid ‘DP401’ PBR Trade Name Clarity Blue™

Silvery-blue native flax lily; broad steel-blue leaves and elegant form

Dianella caerulea DCMP01  Trade Name Little Jess™

Little Jess

Very compact flax lily with masses of purple spring flowers

Dianella revoluta DR5000 Trade Name Little Rev™

Dwarf Dianella with fine foliage and blue flowers; forms neat clumps; very hardy

Dianella revoluta DRG04 Trade Name Revelation®

Mid-sized Dianella revoluta cultivar with blue flowers and robust growth; perfect for mass plantings

Dianella tasmanica TR20 Trade Name Tasred®

Tasred

Cold-hardy Dianella tasmanica with reddish leaf bases and blue berries; tough ornamental grass

Dianella tasmanica ‘TAS300’ PBR Trade Name Wyeena®

Wyeena

Variegated Tasman flax lily with striking cream and green striped leaves; hardy and drought tolerant

Buyer takeaway

If you’re going for a native grassland feel, I would personally increase the diversity beyond mass planting one or two varieties. You might even like to try adding a few shrubs and groundcovers as well. https://www.ozbreed.com.au/plant-ranges/

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