What are some alternatives to a grass lawn?

Good alternatives to the traditional lawns are the improved turf type tall fescues. Another good choice is the use of clover. Clover grows quickly and easily, chokes out weeds and is a soil conditioner. Clover is a nitrogen fixing plant, which has nitrogen-forming nodules on its roots, which adds nitrogen to the soil. This in turn enriches the soil as a natural fertilizer. Clover is low maintenance and needs no watering and less mowing. It requires no fertilizer, and stays green even during dry periods. White sweet clover (Melitous alba) occurs naturally in lawns. A better choice for lawn clover is Dutch White Clover (Trifolium repens), which is best suited for lawn type use. Dutch White Clover is a perennial and grows to a height of 4-8 inches. It is relatively low growing, low maintenance, needs no watering and little mowing, requires no fertilizer, stays green even in dry weather, is inexpensive (cost about $4.00 to cover 4000 sq. feet of turf area), is easy to walk on or play on, ...  more