Best 8 Plants to Replace Your Grass Georgia Zone 8a

In this post I will highlight some native edible plants that can grow in your yard to replace your lawn and still comply with less strict HOA, city, and county ordinances. “Short” is under 10 inches.

• Clover
• Lyreleaf Sage
• Self Heal
• Plantains
• Wild Lettuce
• Wood Sorrel
• Mugwort
• Dandelion

Clover

Clover comes in two common varieties, Red (Clemson) and White. We get ours from Marietta Seed and Feed for a very reasonable price. The main Benefits of clover are

• Edible
• Short height
• Outcompetes most grass
• Naturally fixes nitrogen into the soil, fertilizing the area
• Pollinators love it
• Native

Lyreleaf Sage

Also known as “Cancer Weed”, this herb is in the mint family, edible, and native! Benefits of having it in your yard:

• Edible
• Used Medicinally Historically
• Pollinators Love it
• Short height except when flowering
• Native

Self-Heal

Prunella Vulgaris ssp. Lanceolata is a native herb with a ton of health benefits that is also in the mint family, however it does not taste or smell like mint. Benefits include:

• Edible
• Used Medicinally Historically
• Pollinators love it
• Short height
• Prolific
• Easy to manage
• Native

Plantains

This will include both Broadleaf and Longleaf/ribwort Plantain. One of my favorites, it is edible and used to sooth the throat or rub on bug bites to immediately relieve the itching. Benefits of having it in your yard include:

• Edible
• Used Medicinally Historically
• Pollinators love it
• Short except when flowering
• Prolific
• Easy to manage
• Native

Wild Lettuce

Wild Lettuce is a very useful and edible plant. I like to use leaves in my ramen and make tea to immediately relieve cold symptoms. This will grow very large, but you can harvest it whenever it gets too big and harvest it’s natural Lactucarium.

• Edible
• Used Medicinally Historically
• Pollinators love it
• Short except when flowering
• Prolific
• Easy to manage
• Native

Wood Sorrel

Sorrell is a great three leaved plant that almost looks like a clover but has beautiful yellow or purple flowers. Sorrell has a sour or citrus taste and creates very tasty seed pods.

• Edible*
• Used Medicinally Historically
• Pollinators love it
• Short height
• Prolific
• Easy to manage
• Native

*Some people may react negatively to sorrell due to the oxalic acid when chewing so be careful!

Mugwort

This one grows much taller but can be harvested at the desired height for use in tea to soothe the throat. Its also claimed to be used to help with anxiety, indigestion, and dreams. Here’s why you should grow it:

• Edible
• Used Medicinally Historically
• Pollinators love it
• Easy to manage
• Native

Dandelion

I could not make a useful plant list without including one of my favorite plants, the Common Dandelion. while most people thing its just a weed, when controlled it does not drown out biodiversity and can help break up compacted soil. Also it has long been used as a superfood and survival food that is packed with vitamins and minerals. Reasons to add it to your yard:

• Edible
• Used Medicinally Historically
• Pollinators love it
• Short height
• Prolific
• Easy to manage
• Native

There you have it! Now go out and find some of these plants on a nature walk and spread the seeds into your own yard. Try to include them all! You won’t regret it!

Happy Gardening!