Ditch the Mower: Why Sedum Matting is an Alternative to a Grass Lawn

Sedum - creating environmental benefits for you and your garden

Tired of endless mowing, watering, and the constant battle against weeds? What if there was a greener, more sustainable, and frankly, more beautiful alternative to that traditional grass lawn and significantly better for the environment that artificial grass? Enter sedum matting (also known as sedum carpet), a revolutionary solution that’s gaining popularity across the UK.

Far from being just for green roofs, sedum offers a wealth of benefits for your garden, transforming it into a vibrant, low-maintenance oasis all year round.

Why Sedum?

Sedum, also known as stonecrop, is a succulent plant renowned for its hardiness and ability to thrive in challenging conditions. When cultivated as matting, it creates a living carpet that’s incredibly drought-tolerant, requiring minimal watering once established. Imagine reclaiming your weekends from lawn care and instead enjoying a colourful tapestry of textures and shades!

Artificial grass is more commonly known as a grass lawn alternative due to ability to recreate the look of a traditional lawn. However, there are many reasons why this is not a long term or accessible option. Due to being substantially plastic based with some fabric integration for more expensive products, there are clear environmentally negative aspects to artificial lawns. Artificial lawn use also will negate any potential environmental opportunities to your space such as biodiversity and water consumption which can provide substantial benefits for your property.

Additionally, unlike plant-based ground cover, should damage or similar issues occur, the costs to repair or replace can be excessive or mean greater potential problems longer term.

Standard vs. Premium: Choosing Your Sedum Supply Solution

When it comes to sedum matting, Sedum Supply have two types suitable as lawn alternatives: Standard and Premium. Understanding the differences will help you pick the best fit for your project.

  • Standard Sedum Carpet: This option is thinner and less mature, typically around 20-30mm thick in early summer, grown on a lightweight coco matting. A highly cost-effective product, as up to 45m² can fit on a single pallet. For installation, we recommend a minimum of 40-60mm of a fine blend growing medium, equating to approximately 1½ – 2 x 25kg bags per square metre.
  • Premium Sedum Carpet: If you’re looking for an instant “wow” factor and a richer, more diverse display, the premium sedum option is for you. It’s grown on a thicker bed with a greater variety of sedum species, some of which won’t flourish on the thinner standard mat unless planted separately. A key feature of the premium mat is its thick, moisture-retaining fleece on the underside. This significantly improves water retention, making it ideal for more challenging environments. While you’ll get 24m² per pallet, the instant impact and enhanced resilience are well worth it.

For the growing medium, you’ll need 20-40mm, or about 1 – 1½ x 25kg bags per square metre. Our premium sedum blanket is particularly well-suited for coastal locations, and demanding landscape projects. It is also most common green roof installations for sloping roofs of 10 degrees or more.

The Ideal Foundation: Growing Medium Matters

For both types of sedum matting, we strongly advise laying them on top of our fine blend growing medium. This specialised substrate provides the perfect balance of drainage and nutrients to ensure your sedum flourishes.

For the premium matting, the thicker blanket works best with a growing medium depth of 20-40mm. This combination creates an optimal environment for the sedum to establish and thrive.

A Note for Landscapers: Preparing Your Site

For professional landscapers, preparing the ground correctly is crucial for the long-term success of sedum matting. Typically, this involves removing most of the existing topsoil and laying down a well-draining growing medium or a gravel bed. On top of this, a weed-suppressant geotextile membrane (teram sheet) is essential to prevent unwanted growth. Finally, a 30-50mm layer of our sedum growing medium should be applied before rolling out the sedum matting. Keep in mind that the exact preparation will depend on your specific surface and project requirements.

Beyond Beauty: The Benefits of Sedum Matting

Beyond its stunning appearance and low-maintenance appeal, sedum matting offers a host of environmental advantages:

  • Water Conservation: Its drought-tolerant nature means significantly less watering compared to a traditional lawn, saving you water and money.
  • Biodiversity Boost: Sedum flowers provide a valuable food source for pollinators like bees and butterflies, contributing to local biodiversity.
  • Reduced Carbon Footprint: No more petrol mowers mean fewer emissions and a quieter garden.
  • Erosion Control: The dense matting helps to stabilise soil, making it excellent for slopes and preventing erosion.
  • Temperature Regulation: On a larger scale, sedum can help to cool urban environments by absorbing heat, much like green roofs do.

 

Ready to transform your garden into a vibrant, sustainable, and effortlessly beautiful space? Sedum matting could be the perfect solution. Say goodbye to the endless chores and hello to a garden that works for you!

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