Native Texas Nursery

Groundcovers

I’ll start out by saying something that I know will elicit boos and hisses from some sectors: I like St. Augustine grass.  And like the governor of New Jersey, I said it… and I did not vaporize.  I think turf grass has its place, just a very specific, very defined place.  BUT, for those places where turf just isn’t going to work, whether because you want to reduce water usage, or just want something more interesting than a solid green mat, groundcovers are the way to go.  There’s a whole world of ‘em.  And now I’ll say something to make greenskeepers cringe: as much as I like St. Augustine in some places, I generally like groundcovers better. 

Sod has its place

The stuff we all know- Asian Jasmine, Dwarf Mondo Grass, Boston Ivy- are all valuable plants, but just about everything that can be said about those plants has been said, so I’m not going to try to add to it.  Instead, I’ll give you a few ideas of groundcovers that you’re not likely to see, for example, around a college dormitory or a shopping mall parking lot.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that… 

Like anything else in the plant world, groundcovers run the gamut of colors, textures, and sheer, unabated voracity.  There are dainty, ground-hugging species that might surprise you with their tenacity, and there are big, bulky, don’t-stand-still-or-it’ll-swallow-you plants that can be managed with a weed eater. 



Wedelia trilobata



Wedelia is one that walks a fine line.  Wedelia will behave itself to a certain extent, but before you know it, it’s crept over the sidewalk and is dodging in and out of traffic.  With little, bright yellow flowers set off by the dark green, rough textured foliage throughout the warm season, Wedelia is pretty enough that you’ll keep it once you have it.  But as you’re hacking it back in mid-July, you’ll wonder if it was a good idea after all.  It was, it was.  Wedelia is equally happy in full, hot sun or part shade.  It needs plenty of room, but doesn’t need a whole lot of water or attention.  Wedelia will only get six to eight inches tall, but seems endless in its reach.  The tendrils will root wherever they touch the ground, and continue growing from there.  Let it freeze in the winter, cut back the dead vines in the early spring, and get out of the way. 

Sweet Potato Vine 'Marguerite'

Sweet Potato Vine is NOT an ingredient for a Thanksgiving pie.  The name comes from the yam-like tuber that the plant makes underground, given time.  There are three main varieties that you see used in landscapes.  There’s the chartreuse-colored one that’s called ‘Marguerite’ or ‘Margarita’ or ‘Margarite’, and there are two that are so dark purple that they’re almost black: ‘Blackie’ and ‘Ace of Spades’.  ‘Blackie’ has leaves that are deeply lobed, giving it a softer, more airy look.  ‘Ace of Spades’ has more rounded, fuller leaves.  All three grow like mad.  Sweet Potato Vine can take a little bit of shade, but they’re happier in full sun.  They need a bit more water than some other vines, and tend to wilt a little on summer afternoons.  Just give them a little drink, and they perk right back up.  These get ten to twelve inches tall, and can probably reach fifteen or twenty feet.  There are other colors as well, though they’re not as common.



Ceratostigma plumbaginoides



Leadwort looks like a much darker blue, groundcover form of Plumbago.  It’s much more easily controlled than the previous two plants.  Sun or part shade is fine for Leadwort, and it’s pretty drought-tolerant.  It can reach three to five feet. 



Polygonum capitatum



Okay, so, a weed by any other name, right?  Right?  Knotweed is Polygonum capitatum, and Polygonums are hated in some places, and maybe justifiably so.  But Knotweed makes a pretty cool little groundcover in areas where they can really stretch out and fill in all the little nooks and crannies.  Knotweed can take sun or shade, it doesn’t care too much.  The more sun it gets, the darker red the leaves will be.  It makes cute little round, pink blooms that look like little candies.  BUT, (say it with me everybody) DON’T EAT YOUR LANDSCAPE!

Creeping Jenny

Lysimachia, or Creeping Jenny, is a ground-hugging, small-leaved groundcover.  The leaves are a pale yellow, which look good in large areas, or creeping in and around rocks and hanging over the edge of a raised planter.  Creeping Jenny isn’t quite as drought-tolerant as some of the others, and appreciates an occasional watering.  It can take full sun, but will grow faster and won’t wilt as easily with a little afternoon shade.  Lysimachia only gets about a half-inch tall, but with time can cover a three-foot area.



Dichondra argentea



Silver Ponyfoot has little fuzzy, silver leaves that can shimmer somewhat in the sun.  It spreads very quickly and needs very little supplemental water.  It makes a great  groundcover and looks good under Texas Star Hibiscus or red roses like Martha Gonzales. 



Aptenia cordifolia



There are several succulents that will spread out under larger plants or just fill in a space and put on a show all by themselves.  Baby Sun Rose (Aptenia cordifolia) needs very little water, blooms all summer, and the leaves seem to shine in the bright sunlight.  It comes in red, pink, or yellow.  Mexican Sedum (Sedum acre) is covered with bright yellow flowers in the spring, and displays bright green, tiny leaves the rest of the year.  Both of these succulents will quickly spread to fill in a three to five foot area if you let them. 

variegated 'Purple Heart'

Okay, I said I wouldn’t mention the same ‘ol, same ‘ol.  But there is one that I have to bring up: Purple Heart.  Think Purple Heart is boring?  Think it’s overused?  Your grandma had that in her garden?  Maybe, but Grandma didn’t have the variegated version.  It’s just like Purple Heart, but with a pink streak on each leaf.  Unless your Granny is one of those bungee-jumping, purple-haired grannies.  And God bless her if she is.