One homeowner was considering an extreme move when traditional lawn maintenance became too much for her in her home that's governed by a homeowners association.
The post about the situation appeared in r/NoLawns, a subreddit dedicated to turf grass alternatives. "What is the easiest-to-do grass alternative that still looks like it?" asked the original poster. "My mom has been complaining about the work involved with caring for a yard. I've been trying to get her to switch over to an alternative but she has been kind of weird about it. … We live in an HOA that needs a lawn."
According to the Redditor, their first choice of alternatives had already been shot down. "I've said we should do clover but instead she wants to do gravel," said the puzzled user. "What's something like grass that can be somewhat easily grown in?"
That got a strong reaction from the commenters. "The exact plant def depends on your ecoregion, but Jesus, anything but gravel," said one user.
Gravel can be a beautiful part of a landscaping design, including many waterwise and xeriscaped layouts. However, too much gravel in one place risks creating a heat island — an area where stone, pavement, and similar surfaces absorb sunlight and radiate heat.
Plants, on the other hand, actively cool their surroundings by releasing water from underground and shading the area. The trick is to find low-maintenance plants that don't need much extra water and that are cheap and easy to keep — which usually means native species.
HOAs aren't always on board with that, though, because they tend to prefer a uniform look to the neighborhood. It's sometimes possible to change the rules, but it can be a hard battle to fight. That's why commenters tried to help the original poster get creative.
"Sedge is a good option but might be hard to fill a large area," said one user.
"If you're in a northern tier state or have some shade in the transition zone, then fine fescue is a great choice," said a second commenter.
"If you can't get rid of the lawn entirely, then wide border 'gardens' of any kind can make it much smaller," said a third Redditor.
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