We live in a clearing surrounded by very small swathe of wooded area. Immediately adjacent to and surrounding our home is sand. We would like to use short grasses instead of conventional grass seed or sod.
Has anyone used lily turf or any other short grasses for a natural look to lawn and to prevent soil erosion.


We reside near West Coast Michigan- Grand Haven
Thank you kindly!

Lily turf.. maybe,.. make sure it is spreading.. not great for walking on a lot, and will get pretty shredded over winter and then you mow that off each spring..

I think I'd plant taters!

In my area, lily turf makes a real good substitute for turf... But that running lily turf can be a mite aggressive, as in give it an inch and watch it take the entire yard!

But... not having to mow it... being able to have a grassy look in the shade does have a certain appeal.

If it's hardy up there, I reckon it's an option... but... are you sure I can't convince you to plant a patch of sweet corn?

Of course, lily turf is not a grass, and doesn't even approach the tolerance to foot traffic that grasses do. But nothing is perfect, just different. If you are thinking of a shortgrass alternative like buffalo grass or zoysia, they usually don't do well because even though they grow, they don't compete well with other better adapted plants for your climate. Zoysia probably wouldn't green up for you until June, for example.

You can grow Buffalo Grass but as Leftwood said, it is not like using common lawn grasses.
If you can successfully get it started it should spread by itself as it spreads by rhizomes but getting it started takes dedication.
I have some growing that popped up about ten years after I tried seeding it .
It is slowly spreading on a hill that was mostly weeds and pasture type grass, where there was grass, 30 years ago.
I removed all, or tried to, non grass weeds, by pulling as herbicides on a hill are half arsed at best.
Perhaps by chance but it showed up after I started throw the ashes from my wood, weed, paper burner on the hill often.