Skip The Seed: The Stylish Alternative To Cover A Dead Area Of Grass

A perfectly manicured green yard is the goal for many homeowners. Who doesn't want a lush, picture-perfect lawn surrounding the home they've spent so much time and money on? As nice as that sounds, it's not always the reality. Even with proper care, a dreaded brown patch can appear out of nowhere. Your first instinct might be to sprinkle on some more grass seed and say a little prayer, but there's another simple way to fix your patchy lawn. Sometimes the grass isn't greener, so why not turn that stubborn bare spot into a small, useful herb garden instead?

Rather than repeating the grass-growing cycle over and over again (despite the fact that it clearly doesn't want to be there), you can give the space an entirely new purpose. Turning the area into a small herb garden adds greenery back to your yard while giving you fresh ingredients you can actually use in the kitchen, potentially saving you a little money along the way. Sounds great, right? Before you start digging up your lawn, though, it's worth figuring out why the grass died in the first place. Too much shade, poor drainage, and soil temperature can all affect grass growth, and those same conditions could make it difficult for your herbs to thrive, too.Once you've figured out what's going on beneath the surface, you can determine whether that bare patch is actually a good candidate for your new herb garden.

To turn the bare patch into an herb garden, start by removing the dead grass and loosening the soil underneath. If you want to give your new herbs a solid foundation, work in some compost or fresh soil before planting. For a finished look, flagstone is one stylish garden edging idea, but you can also use other types of stone. Of course, you can always let things grow where they want and enjoy a more natural vibe.

Choosing your herbs comes down to the conditions on your property. IIf the area gets plenty of sun, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage are all a safe bet and relatively drought-tolerant, unlike your total diva of a lawn. Rosemary is also an easy-to-grow herb that can help keep pests out of your garden, making it another definite win. If a lack of sunlight is the problem, opt for shade-tolerant herbs like parsley, chives, or mint. Just be careful with the latter, as it's known to spread quickly. You don't want a mint takeover (or maybe you do — who are we to judge).

If you have more than one brown spot, add another herb garden. They don't have to be huge or lavish, either. A few plants tucked into each bare patch can be enough to make your yard feel more alive. If you want something a little more elaborate, add a small bench or water feature to give the space some extra character. A few flowering plants can attract butterflies and other pollinators, too, and before you know it, you'll have a lawn you'll actually want to look at.