Tropical ground cover

I live in zone 8b and I want to find a tropical looking ground cover . I am growing Bananas ,Plumerias ,Hibiscus ,Brugs ,EE's and I need something low growing that will help keep doun the grass.If I didn't have so many plants I would dig them all up and put down some rolls of paper . I'v just been gardening a little over a year 'live and learn"

Don't know if you consider this tropical or not, but I've used asiatic jasmine since it stays evergreen, low and one it thickens up it will keep out weeds. When I lived in the FL Panhandle it worked well for me since I had very tropical things in the same zone. I'm using some here back in NC where I have my cannas for the same reasons - the cannas die out and I'm left with an evergreen ground cover. Good luck!
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=asiatic+jasmine&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title

Maybe even a variegated vinca, but it may get too hot there for it to bloom with it's little purple flowers. And it doesn't get as thick as the asiatic jasmine I mentioned.

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there is also a creeping ruellia that has a smallish purple flower in the summer here is one http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/122068/

Are both of these invasive ? I have a above ground pool nearby and do not want the roots to grow through my pool.

I suggest you try arachis pintoi --creates a lush cover, that "heals" quickly if walked on or even mowed back, a nice green, interesting texture, fairly soft, with some nice bright yellow flowers.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/168853/

Fixes nitrogen very well.

JPlunket The plant files say zone 9b and I am in 8b .Do you think it will work or not in my zone ?

Asiatic jasmine is not invasive. It has shallow roots as do most vine-type ground covers. It will spread but won't be a problem with the pool.

Ruella I think is deciduous (?) whereas the jasmine is evergreen. I'm sure some other folks will jump in here with recommendations.

That ruellia that Tigerlily mentioned is not decidious or invasive, but it does seed freely. We have tons of it in the beds outside the front yard. It will get scraggly if you do not prune it regularly, and it will turn yellow if it gets Magnesium deficient, but generally it is nice and very low maintenance.

Are you looking for something that would be in full sun or be covered by you tropicals?

Actually it will go dormant here in zones 7/8, but i wasn't sure if that mattered as all the tropicals in the bed will also go dormant over the winter.

That asiatic jasmine looks nice-does it bloom much or at all? I assume it does if it has jasmine in the name-is it fragrant?

It doesn't bloom, or if in the event that morphologically at some point it does, I don't know if it is fragrant. It is mainly a foliage groundcover that is usually pretty thick and consistent when grown properly.

Could you asiatic jasmine as a ground cover instead of grass?? Area is about 3' X 10' .

That is a pretty reasonable area to cover, and asiatic jasmine is tolerant of a lot of light conditions from full sun to light shade. Expect it to take several years, however, to fill in the point where no weeding is necessary. As a young plant, it is often sold as a sprig or up to a one gallon that will have a decent plant, but does not totally cover the soil. This plant is a good candidate for how most landscapes are treated- the mow and go approach. This plant responds well to regular pruning and shaping, whereas other plants I personally find it innapropriate to take to it with a gas powered something on a regular basis. Eventually it will keep mounding up on itself and it will require pruning if you want it to be sculpted or contained, and it will form a nice 2 to 3 inch thick solid layer of itself in the area you planted it.

This is the best answer that I gotten in a few months. My area was recently cleared-finally
planted. I can not have grass because the area is to small to warrant mowing.. I am not adverse to hand pruning and shaping. Thank you so much!!! BTW is hard to find??

Should be, but I am not familiar with the market in your area.

Thanks again.I had even been toying with using dwarf mondo grass but haven't gotten any feedback.

tc,
The asiatic jasmine is a good one for here. Not hard to find -- check Lowe's or HD. Mine is doing well mixed with my cannas to make a ground cover in betweeen the cannas that will go dormant then I have evergreen in the winter.

Can Cannas and such grow through the ground cover ?

Absolutely!

Okay-I'm sold!! Thanks!

OK, here's a shot of the arachis pintoi I planted as sprigs in February. It's filling in pretty nicely, even though my irrigation system was off for a week and a half during a scorching hot streak with very little rain. (the plants crinkled up, looked PWP, but seemed mostly to come right back to their cheery green in a few hours.

I am still in the weeding phase, since the original planting was not dense enough to shade out all the various grasses and other weed plants --hope it soon is.

In a slightly shadier spot where I also planted the same sprigs, growth has been even better.

I now note that this ground cover is best where you don't get a heavy leaf drop, since the arachis gets so thick and tangled, there's no easy way to rake the area.

Perennial peanut. I've heard of it being used that way, but not seen a picture. Very nice!

I was sold on the peaunut this year & then couldn't find enough for the large area I wanted. The extension office here is high on it. It's pretty with yeallow flowers.

This stuff really takes off, so you don't need much. If you can find time to snip off a full batch of tips from the runners that start a few days after planting, and stick them into little peat pots --you can double your plant count every time, fill in weaker spots.

Rest assured I have not done this myself --way too much work, when it will fill in anyway-- but I've seen that these plants eagerly put out roots from any joint in contact with earth.