I need a groundcover replacement for turf that is native to Texas, will thrive in sun to part shade, slightly alkaline soil, and is drought-resistant. Does such a plant exist?
Please help!
xeriscape groundcover suggestions for Houston ASAP?
I don't know if you are looking for a ground cover to walk on, if you are, you could try;
Buffalograss, Buchloe dactyloides, http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/72895/index.html
If you don't need something to walk on, you could try;
Frog- fruit, Phyla nodiflora, http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/62730/index.html
Creeping Barberry, Mahonia repens, http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/80669/index.html
These should do a good job for you.
Josephine.
Mexican petunia (ruellia) and Mexican primrose may be two good choices. They thrive in dry sun/part sun and alkaline, clay soil. In Dallas, they die back in the winter for 2-3 months (December, January) then come back end of Febraury. They can be significantly invasive (could be an issue if planting near flower beds).
Ruellia can easily take over the planet down here if you have good soil--I have a personal rule not to let it in my garden. Its a nice plant (pretty in bloom)--I just don't want to battle it constantly like I've seen alot of other people do.
I'd make some suggestions but I just don't do ground covers. If you want some well adapted, but not native, low maintanence plants I can suggest some if you like.
Debbie
Asiatic jasmine will definately cover your ground!! It can really look nice, though, if kept trimmed (or edged) with a weed eater...but like I said, it can definately cover some ground. Its also carefree!!
(another) Debbie
Available from Madrone Nursery (All native plants) in San Marcos, Tx. - They are all available through mail order.
Wooly Stemodia ( forms a low very dense mat and is a silvery gray color - just saw it at the San Antonio Sunken Gardens where it is just starting to bloom):
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Emadronenursery/Groundcover_ferns/stemodia.html
Snake Herb (don't know how invasive it is):
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Emadronenursery/Groundcover_ferns/snake_herb.html
Trailing Silver Sage (don't know how invasive it is):
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Emadronenursery/Groundcover_ferns/silver_sage.html
This message was edited Mar 19, 2006 11:38 AM
Photo of a very small Wooly Stemodia bloom. It blooms March through the first frost. Although the blooms are small, they nake an impact because there are so many of them.
The Wooly (Woolly) Stemodia growth habit - (5 to 6 inches tall and 3 feet wide per plant). The runners root when they contact the ground. These plants are putting on new grothw and have only a few open blooms now. (No blooms are in the area shown).
The Wooly (Woolly) Stemodia new growth ... the fine hairs give the plant a silvery gray appearance. It is growing beneath a Texas Sage or Cenizo
(Leucophyllum frutescens). The coloring of the foliage is similar as well as the color of the blooms. They make a great combo. The Woolly Stemodia foliage is greener in partial shade. It is highly drought tolerant as shown in the photos. We have received little rain for months and the plants shown here have had no supplemental water. Last year, they were not as thin looking at this time of year because we had had rain.
A view of the Wooly (Woolly) Stemodia showing its very dense matting growth habit ... it probably will keep weeds from growing because the weeds can't receive much sunlight.
Its native habits are shown on this map:
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/vpt_map_name?reg=2,6,10&name=%3Ci%3EStemodia+tomentosa%3C/i%3E+(Mill.)+Greenm.+&+Thomps.
If I were to replace my sod, my first choice would be a dichondra lawn. I have it planted between large paver stones and love it.
It is evergreen for me, so should be for you, also.
It is very short, easy, evergreen, etc.
It is a very popular lawn alternative in Florida.
I've also seen thyme lawns that are very nice, too, but they require more sun
-T
Monkey grass or mondo grass wouldn't be as pretty as some of the other suggestions, but can certainly take the conditions and the foot traffic.
I really like the woolly stemodia suggestion. I don't think that creeping phlox subulata is "native", but I have really enjoyed it (especially in the spring). The phlox looked nice throughout last summer in full sun 100+ degrees for days on end with little water.
I am looking for a 70% shade cover to fill in some flagstones. Anyone have experience with pachysandra (Japanese Spurge) in alkaline clay soil? Any other suggestions? Not sure if stemodia and dichondra would do well with this much shade. Looking for something not too invasive (borders a neighbor's yard).
I think you are right about the stemodisa and the dichondra not doing so well with that much shade. I haven't had any experience with Japanese spurge. I love creeping plox subulata too. I just wished it bloomed all year. The area I used to have in growing in was full sun and slowly became mostly shade over the years and it finally had to be removed because it became very straggly looking. I have a very nice creeping thyme that stays green all winter here in my Zone (8b). Right now, the only groundcovers I can think of that would flourish in that much shade are not evergreen. I'll try to think of something that will do well. Perhaps one of the agugas (not native)? Is the area in full sun 30 percent of the time? Tthis dwarf one is evergreen. A lot of aguga plants' leaves burn in full sun; however, Happenstance in California says it needs sun to keep its leaf color and scrivdom in Houston states that it "... but struggles a bit where receiving a lot of the brutal texan sun."
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2688/index.html
http://www.quansettnurseries.com/GROUNDC.HTM
Asian jasmine (not native) will do okay in shady areas, but you would have to weed wack it from around the flagstones which might become a real chore.
http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.com/productdescrip/Trach_Asian.html
Ardisia japonica (not native)
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/groundcover/ardisia_japonica.html
http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.com/productdescrip/Ardisia_Green.html
A variegated form:
http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.com/productdescrip/Ardisia_Variegated.html
Wedelia trilobata (not native, dies back in winter) - I have this replacing an araea under oak trees where no grass will grow because of my big dogs. They riun all obver it and it does not seem to mind. I have read that it difficult to dig up if it starts growing in araes you don't want it to grow; however, I have had no problems removing it.
http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.com/productdescrip/Wedelia_Tri.html
Liriope does well in shade. The one with all green leaves spreads the fastest. I don't know if you want sometnig this tall. Mine in the shade are about15 inches tall. The one with white varieagtion takes longer to establish itself and the one with green variegation does not do so well in alkaline soil (mine look terrible).
I live in N. Dallas, where the developers couldn't help themselves and crammed the houses close together. The area in question is the side yard (between our house and my neighbor). A few years ago, I gave up on St. Augustine and Bermuda to grow here. So I built a small, narrow, raised herb garden (cilantro, violetta odoratta, chives, saffron crocus have done fine) Next to the herb bed, I laid down a flagstone path. I basically just let weeds take over the bare ground between the flagstone (it actually looks OK). The neighbors have given up on their side yard also and seem to be happy with bare ground + weeds + patchy St. Augustine.
The area is south facing and actually gets decent sun from 8am to noon. Then I would call it open shade the rest of the day. I was also thinking that ajuga (carpet bugle) would do well since it's in the mint family (I've got mint growing in basically full open shade under a window sill). I figure that if cilantro and chives grow OK here, that there is hope that a woolly thyme or a creeping thyme would also.