considering lawn alternatives

(Question)

I am considering a lawn alternative that can tolerate medium foot traffic and has low maintenance. I live in Brampton. I am considering this for my backyard. I would like to know what kind of ground cover can I consider. Also something that is winter hardy. The soil type is clay. I also want to know where I can buy the plants or seeds.
Thank you.

(Answer)

Like you, many gardeners today are considering alternatives to grass.  One of the more popular choices is white clover Trifolium repens, which can be used on its own as a groundcover, or seeded into an existing lawn to produce a mixture of turfgrass and clover.   Other gardeners prefer sedums, or thyme varieties, many of which are available at large garden centres.  Clover or clover/turfgrass mixtures should be available at most of the big box stores as well as hardware stores at this time of year.

This City of Guelph website gives a very good overview of the kinds of plants available as lawn substitutes based on a variety of factors including foot traffic resilience and soil type.  All choices are winter hardy in our part of the province: https://guelph.ca/living/house-and-home/healthy-landscapes/lawn-care/groundcovers-lawn-alternatives/#!pane2

The Toronto Master gardeners has produced a good guide on lawn alternatives in conjunction with the City of Toronto.  https://66.209.177.85/~torontom/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Lawn-Alternatives1.pdf

Best of luck with your lawn conversion project!