In Southern California, turf grass can be pretty impractical. Not only can it be hard to maintain, especially if you're trying to mow slopes and hillsides, it can be expensive to water and replace when planted in unsuitable conditions where the light, temperature or sea spray exposure would kill regular turf. Fortunately, there are lots of varieties of groundcovers that you can use to supplement turf grass, which are lower maintenance and often use less water, which is a precious resource, especially in SoCal. Here are some examples of groundcover you can replace your turf grass with.

Ice Plant and Sedum
A native to Southern Africa, Ice Plant is a staple in Southern California because it is well adapted to our sunny, drought-afflicted climate in Southern California. Not only does Ice Plant work well on slopes where maintenance is often difficult, it sports a variety of fluorescent-colored flowers in purple, yellow, pink and even red. You can't go wrong with any species from the Lampranthus genus, like the Trailing Ice Plant (L. spectabilis), there are other types like Disneyland Ice Plant (Delosperma alba), Rosea Ice Plant (Drosanthemum floribundum) and Red Apple Ice Plant (Aptenia cordifolia), if you're looking for bright red flowers. If you're looking for a succulent to grow in smaller spaces, go with a Sedum like the S. guatamalense, S. anglican, S. brevifolium, S. comfusum and S. spurium species.

Gazania
If you're tired of Ice Plant but are looking for a drought-resistant, flowering groundcover, try planting some Gazania. It not only shares in common its origin with Ice Plant, but this Southern Africa native also has flowers that come in a variety of different colors including yellow, golden, orange, burgundy, sunburst and white. If you're looking for coverage of a large area, go with Trailing Gazania, but if you're trying to keep a low profile, plant some Clumping Gazania, instead.

Grasses and Grass-Resembling Plants
Of course, ideally, you'd be able to keep the look of grass, while reducing its maintenance, and that's pretty much what you can hope for with Korean Grass (Zoysia sp.) and Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca). Blue Fescue will grow in tufts, though it can form turfs in dry or sandy soils. However, Korean Grass looks best when mowed to a height of one or two inches. Although Korean Grass will tend to spread slowly, it's roots will grow deep. Another grass look-a-like is the Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonica). Don't be fooled by its name as it is actually a member of the lily family, but it sports two to twelve inch long blades that resemble grass.

Ivy
If succulents aren't your fancy, and you aren't trying to mimic the look of grass, why not give Ivy a try? If you are going for a more "traditional" look, plant some English Ivy (Hedera helix) but if you want delicate-looking Ivy, try the Needle Point Ivy (H. h. digitata). Not only does English Ivy grow on trellises, fences and walls, it also grows horizontally, allowing it to provide great ground coverage.  The Algerian Ivy (H. canariensis) resembles English Ivy, but its leaves are more widely spaced on its stems.

Paver, Flagstone and Stepping Stone Filling Plants
Finally, if you're looking for something to provide some green "filling" between flagstones, pavers and stepping stones, consider planting some Green Carpet (Herniaria glabra) or some Thyme. Although Elfin Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) produces a dense mat that is good for artistically filling in the spaces between flagstones, Wooly Thyme  (T. lanuginosis) will form two to three foot wide, flat to undulating mats that a great for filling wider spaces like those between stepping stones. For palm tree sales and deals on other plants for your yard, check out your local garden center.