Drought-Resistant Alternatives to a Lawn in Sandy Soil

Perennial Wildflowers

• Seeding some perennial wildflowers in an area where you would normally have a lawn provides you with a low-maintenance, beautiful covering for your land. A wildflower needs to be hardy enough to survive in its natural environment without human care, making these among the easiest plants to grow. Wild lupine is one option that will grow well in sandy soil while actually favoring dry growing conditions.

Ornamental Grasses

• Ornamental grasses are a hardy alternative to traditional turf-style grass on front lawns. These grasses look more like prairie grass and include some plants that aren't strictly grasses, but related shrubs and plants. The natural toughness of grass makes several ornamental grass varieties a valid option for dry and sandy climates. Big bluestem, side oats grama and Boulder blue are all varieties that should grow well in dry, sandy soil.

Clover

• Clover not only makes for an excellent lawn alternative, but also reduces greatly the amount of care you will have to dedicate to your landscaping. Clover naturally chokes out weeds, so weeding is not a problem. It doesn't need to be fertilized, and even in very dry times it will stay green and healthy. Another benefit is that if you decide you want to plant something else in the future, clover helps improve soil quality over time.

Ground Cover

• Another option worth considering is one (or more) of the many ground cover plants that help make an area look good while protecting the soil from wind and rain erosion effects. Barrenstrawberry is like a strawberry, although the fruit is not edible. It does well in sandy soil and is very resistant to drought. Sweetfern is also strong against drought, likes the sand and offers the added bonus of being resistant to high soil salinity.