Design a No-Mow Backyard: Year-Round Beauty Without the Lawn

This backyard garden eliminates the traditional lawn while delivering four-season appeal. The designer selected tough, reliable plants that remain attractive even in harsh weather. Below, explore each garden section in detail.

Good Bones: Structure That Lasts All Year

A well-designed landscape has strong "bones"—elements that stay visible and beautiful year-round. Here, those bones include a multicolor brick patio, a flagstone path, and an ornamental lattice-top fence for privacy and backdrop. A row of evergreen arborvitae and a Washington hawthorn tree provide structure in every season.

See also: Plan-a-Garden

Colorful Contrasts

Purple-leaved barberry and bugleweed contrast beautifully with surrounding flowers and green foliage. Northern sea oats add nearly year-round interest.

Plant List: (A) Japanese barberry 'Bailtwo'. (B) Garden phlox 'David'. (C) Bugleweed 'Bronze Beauty'. (D) Northern sea oats. (E) Fountain grass 'Hameln'. (F) Blackberry lily. (G) Daylily 'Happy Returns'.

Plants of Note: Northern Sea Oats

Northern sea oats is one of several ornamental grasses in this design. They provide nearly year-round interest, and their height creates an attractive foil for shorter plants.

See also: The Beauty of Ornamental Grasses

Softening Hard Edges

Arborvitae and purple-flowered clematis 'Jackmanii' soften the privacy fence. Phlox, hosta, and dwarf fountain grass blur the edge of the flagstone path.

Plant List: (J) Clematis 'Jackmanii'. (I) Summersweet 'Ruby Spice'. (K) Arborvitae 'Techny'. (B) Garden phlox 'David'. (D) Northern sea oats. (L) Rose 'Purple Pavement'. (H) Heart-leaf bergenia 'Winter Glow'. (F) Blackberry lily. (E) Fountain grass 'Hameln'. (G) Daylily 'Happy Returns'.

Plants of Note: Clematis & Summersweet

'Jackmanii' clematis is a reliable vine with large, velvety purple flowers, growing about 10 feet tall. 'Ruby Spice' summersweet reaches 4–6 feet, offering fragrant pink flowers in midsummer and yellow fall foliage.

See also: Great Garden Cover-Ups

Vertical Accent: Washington Hawthorn

A Washington hawthorn (20–25 feet tall) provides a vertical element. Its light shade allows both shade-lovers (hosta) and sun-lovers (feather reed grass) to thrive beneath.

Plant List: (Q) Washington hawthorn. (S) Ninebark 'Monlo'. (P) Hosta 'Sum and Substance'. (N) Coralbells 'Cherries Jubilee'. (U) Toad lily 'Miyakaki'. (T) Hosta 'Great Expectations'. (L) Rose 'Purple Pavement'.

Plants of Note: Hostas

Hostas excel as space fillers for shade and semi-shade. Their large leaves add interesting texture, especially paired with bladelike grasses and daylilies.

See also: The Best Perennials for Shade

Foliage Stars

A varied sweep of perennials ensures interest even when not in bloom. Daylilies, hosta, and red-leaved coralbells contrast leaf color, shape, and size. Feather reed grass adds plumes that last beyond the first frost.

Plant List: (M) Golden carpet sedum. (N) Coralbells 'Jubilee'. (O) Feather reed grass 'Overdam'. (H) Heart-leaf bergenia 'Winter Glow'. (P) Hosta 'Sum and Substance'. (Q) Washington hawthorn. (N) Coralbells 'Cherry Jubilee'. (U) Toad lily 'Miyazaki'. (G) Daylily 'Happy Returns'. (O) Feather reed grass "Overdam'. (B) Garden phlox 'David'.

Plants of Note: 'Happy Returns' Daylily

'Happy Returns' daylily, an offspring of 'Stella d'Oro', reblooms reliably but with bright canary-yellow flowers instead of gold.

See also: Step-by-Step Patio Planning