(From the Ocean Friendly Gardens book)
Lawns are notoriously bad for the ocean - not only do they require a lot of water, but the runoff they produce is loaded with fertilizers and herbicides. Instead of a lawn, consider these attractive alternatives:
Legend: A = Aggressive; E = Erosion Controlling and good for small slopes; W = Water Conserving Trailing, Rooting, and Perennial Ground Covers.
| Botanical Name | Common Name | Notes and Needs |
| Abronia spp. | Sand verbena | >Native. E W |
| Achillea ageratifolia, A. clavennae, A. tomentosa | Greek yarrow, silvery yarrow, woolly yarrow | A. clavennae is lowest growing. W |
| Aster chilensis | Wild aster | Coastal native. W |
| Aurinia saxatilis | Basket-of-gold | Can tolerate light shade. OK with poor soil. W |
| Cerastium tomentosum | Snow-in-summer | Sometimes short-lived. W |
| Chamaemelum nobile | Chamomile | Tough. Can tolerate some shade. Not the true herb chamomile. W |
| Convolvulus mauritanicus | Ground morning glory | Good companion plant with yellow gazania. W |
| Coreopsis auriculata “Nana” | Tickseed | Wonderful with dwarf plumbago.W |
| Duchesnea indica | Indian Mock Strawberry | Can be invasive if well watered and fed. A |
| Dymondia margaretae | Dymondia | Tough. Tolerates traffic. W |
| Erigeron spp. | Fleabane | Some native. Compliments gazania and thyme. W |
| Erodium reichardii | Cranesbill | Tough. Can tolerate some shade. |
| Festuca californica, F. rubra | California fescue, Creeping red fescue | Native is drought tolerant in cool summer areas. Does not grow well in poor soils. A E |
| Fragaria chiloensis, F. californica | Wild strawberry, sand strawberry | Native. Cut back annually. Sun and shade. W |
| Gazania hybrids | Trailing gazania | Reliable and aggressive in soils in fair condition. W |
| Geranium spp. | Cranesbill | Some native. Tough. Some drought tolerant. |
| Herniaria glabra | Rupture Wort | Low mat that can grow in filtered shade too. |
| Lychnis coronaria | Crown-pink, dusty miller | Tough, and surprisingly, can tolerate some traffic. W |
| Oenothera hookeri | Hooker's evening primrose | Native and tough. Can be invasive. A W |
| Osteospermum fruticosum | African daisy, freeway daisy | Tolerates heat. Sometimes short-lived. Cut back old growth. E, W |
| Phyla nodiflora | Lippia | Tough. Can tolerate some traffic. Purple/pink flowers. W |
| Pelargonium peltatum | Ivy geranium | Dependable color. People friendly foliage. E |
| Potentilla neumanniana, P. x tonguei | Cinquefoil | Tough and versatile. Can tolerate some shade. |
| Sagina subulta | Irish and Scotch moss | Tough. Takes foot traffic. Can tolerate shade. |
| Stachys byzantina | Lamb's ears | Can be tough and tolerate a little traffic. OK up to filtered shade. |
| Thyme spp. | Thyme | A number of low growing, durable species. W |
| Trifolium spp. | Strawberry and White Clover | If maintained, it is tough. Able to fixate nitrogen, good companion plant. E W |
| Tropaeolum spp. | Nasturtium | Can naturalize. Needs to be cut back annually. A |
| Verbena peruviana, V. pulchella gracilior, V. tenuisecta | Verbena, moss verbena | Good combination with Oenothera. Cut back every two years. W |
| Veronica spp. | Veronica, speedwell | There is a species for every garden. |
| Zauschneria septentrionalis | Humboldt County Fuchsia | Native that can grow into a dense mat. |
| Zoysia spp. | Zoysia | Dense and durable. Good for traffic. |