Lawn Landscaping Ideas
Lawn alternatives, edging ideas, and landscaping that reduces or enhances your grass areas.
Lawn Design Styles
Explore different garden styles for your lawn
The Honest Truth
Every design choice has tradeoffs. Here's what nobody tells you.
What's Great
- •Nothing beats lawn for play areas and gathering space
- •Provides visual rest between busy planting beds
- •Cooler than hardscape—reduces heat island effect
- •Relatively inexpensive to establish (compared to hardscape)
- •Can be reduced or removed later as needs change
The Reality Check
- •Weekly mowing during growing season is non-negotiable
- •Water, fertilizer, and chemical inputs add up financially and environmentally
- •Monoculture lawns provide zero wildlife habitat
- •Weeds are a constant battle in imperfect conditions
- •Climate change is making traditional lawns harder to maintain
Families with kids who need play space, anyone wanting flexible open areas, those who enjoy lawn care as relaxation
Water-conscious gardeners, those who hate mowing, anyone wanting maximum ecological benefit
The One Thing That Makes or Breaks It
"Right-size your lawn. You need lawn where you actually use lawn—for play, walking, gathering. The corners, slopes, and far reaches don't need to be grass. Convert unused lawn to beds, groundcover, or meadow, and suddenly lawn maintenance is manageable instead of oppressive."
Ask yourself: when did I last walk in that corner of the lawn? If the answer is 'never,' it shouldn't be lawn.
I have/had a lawn and wish I had...
Reduced it years ago—we only use about 1/3 of our lawn but mow 100% of it every week
Tried alternative grass types—our fescue needs constant water while native alternatives thrive on neglect
Not fought the clover—turns out clover stays green in drought, fixes nitrogen, and looks fine
Created cleaner edges—the boundary between lawn and beds is constantly a mess
Added a mowing strip (paver edge)—trimming lawn edges manually takes longer than mowing
Learn from others' experience. Use DreamzAR to visualize before you commit.
AI Prompts for Lawn Landscaping
Use these prompts with DreamzAR's Chat with AI feature to design beautiful lawn areas. Copy a prompt and paste it in the app!
Replace most of my lawn with beautiful garden beds while keeping some grass
Design crisp lawn edges with clean borders and defined planting areas
Transform my struggling lawn into a mix of grass and flowering groundcovers
Show me lawn alternatives for the shady areas where grass won't grow
Design a clover lawn or eco-lawn that needs less water and mowing
Create a lawn design with curves and island beds for visual interest
Transform my large lawn into defined outdoor rooms with garden areas
Design a small manicured lawn surrounded by lush perennial borders
Show me how to reduce my lawn size without losing play space for kids
Create a no-mow lawn area with native sedges and low-maintenance grasses
Design Your Lawn
Upload a photo and see beautiful landscaping around your lawn instantly.