The eco-lawn glossary
Every term we use, in plain language — so the guides and product pages make sense.
Allelopathy
A plant's release of chemicals that suppress nearby plants — one way some ground covers resist weeds.
Bee lawn
A low-mow lawn that includes flowering plants such as clover and self-heal to feed pollinators.
Coverage / seeding rate
How much seed to sow per area, usually given in pounds per 1,000 square feet.
Cultivar
A cultivated variety of a species selected for particular traits.
Cool-season / warm-season
Cool-season species (fine fescue, clover) grow most actively in spring and fall and may go semi-dormant in summer heat; warm-season species (buffalograss) grow most actively in summer heat and go dormant (tan, not dead) outside it.
Dormancy
A plant’s temporary, reversible slowdown in growth and colour during stress (cold, heat, or drought) — tan or brown does not necessarily mean dead.
Drought tolerance
A plant's ability to survive extended dry spells once established, with little or no watering.
Eco-lawn
A low-input lawn — often a mix of species — chosen for low water and chemical needs and ecological value.
Ecotype
A population of a species locally adapted to a specific region’s climate and soil — an ecotype seed source is more likely to thrive and behave predictably than seed from a distant, mismatched population.
Establishment
The stretch from sowing until a lawn is rooted and self-sustaining, typically one growing season.
Germination
A seed sprouting into a seedling; the germination rate is the share of seeds that sprout.
Living mulch
A ground cover grown to shade soil, hold moisture and crowd out weeds.
Microclover
A small-leaved selection of white clover (Trifolium repens) that blends finely into turf.
Monoculture / polyculture
A planting of a single species versus a mix of several; eco-lawns favour polyculture.
Native plant
A species that occurs naturally in a region's ecosystem.
Nitrogen fixation
Legumes such as clover converting air nitrogen into soil nitrogen via root bacteria — natural fertiliser.
No-mow lawn
A lawn of low- or slow-growing species that needs little or no mowing.
Overseeding
Sowing seed into existing turf to thicken it or shift it toward an eco-lawn.
Plug / plugging
Establishing a ground cover from small rooted pieces rather than seed — common for moss and some sedges.
Pre-emergent
A herbicide that stops seeds germinating; avoid it when establishing seed.
Provenance
The documented origin of a seed lot or plant — where it was actually collected or grown. Responsible native-plant sourcing tracks provenance rather than treating “native” as a single interchangeable category.
Pure Live Seed (PLS)
The share of a seed lot that will actually grow — purity multiplied by germination rate.
Rhizome
An underground stem that spreads sideways and sends up new shoots — how species like creeping red fescue and Pennsylvania sedge self-repair bare patches.
Self-seeding
Plants dropping their own seed to renew the stand year to year.
Stolon
An above-ground runner stem that roots as it spreads — how white clover and microclover self-repair bare patches, distinct from an underground rhizome.
Stratification
A cold, moist pre-treatment some seeds need before they will break dormancy.
Tapestry lawn
A designed blend of low ground covers that forms a patterned, flowering lawn.
Tolerance (shade / foot-traffic)
How much low light or wear a species can take while staying healthy.
USDA Hardiness Zone
A US map of zones by average minimum winter temperature, used to judge what survives where.
Xeriscape
Landscaping designed to need very little supplemental water.
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