Best Ground Covers to Replace Grass in Southern California
A traditional lawn is one of the thirstiest, highest-maintenance features in any Southern California yard. Swapping all or part of it for ground cover cuts water use, eliminates weekly mowing, and still gives you a soft, green carpet. Here are the best lawn-replacement ground covers for our climate.
Best low-water ground covers for SoCal
- Creeping thyme: fragrant, walkable, and covered in tiny flowers bees love. Great between pavers.
- Kurapia: a tough, low-growing ground cover that handles foot traffic and uses a fraction of a lawn's water.
- Carex (native sedges): look like a flowing meadow lawn and tolerate sun or part shade.
- Dymondia (silver carpet): hugs the ground, handles heat, and shrugs off drought once established.
- Trailing rosemary or myoporum: excellent for slopes and large areas with no foot traffic.
Match the plant to how you use the space
If kids and pets will run across it, choose a traffic-tolerant option like Kurapia or a native sedge. For purely visual areas, slopes, or parkways, trailing shrubs and dymondia fill in fast with almost no care. Mixing two or three ground covers creates texture and avoids the flat look of turf.
How to make the switch
Remove the old lawn (sheet mulching with cardboard and compost smothers grass without chemicals), improve the soil, install drip or low-flow irrigation, and plant from plugs or flats. Spacing depends on the species, but closer spacing fills in faster. A 3-inch mulch layer between plants suppresses weeds while they spread.
Don't forget the rebate
Removing turf can qualify for SoCal WaterSmart turf-replacement rebates, which pay per square foot converted. Combined with a lower water bill, that offsets much of the project cost.
Frequently asked questions
Can ground covers handle full Inland Empire sun?
Yes — thyme, dymondia, Kurapia, and trailing rosemary all thrive in full sun once established.
Do ground covers need any mowing?
Most need only an occasional trim once or twice a year, not weekly mowing.
Arbol Roble has cared for Inland Empire landscapes since 1997, serving Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Fontana, Eastvale, Corona and Riverside. Request a free quote or browse our residential and commercial services.
About the Author
The Arbol Roble team are licensed landscaping and irrigation professionals (CSLB License #1077455) serving Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Fontana, Eastvale, Corona, Riverside, and the greater Inland Empire.