Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Wednesday - July 29, 2009
From: Wicksburg/Newton, AL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Groundcovers
Title: Low native groundcover for Wicksburg/Newton AL
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I am laying a rather wide-set flagstone pathway in our back weeds (planning some native grass and wildflowers in the fall on either side of the path). I am looking for some very low native groundcover or native grass to plant between the stones that won't need to be mowed and can handle foot traffic. I have to plant something quick or the weeds will take over ASAP!ANSWER:
Since you did not specify if the path would be in sun or shade, or both, we have listed a number of low-growing plants that are native to the Dale County area in the southeastern corner of Alabama. You can follow the plant links to the webpage on each individual plant to determine expected height, bloom time and color and light requirements. We consider "sun" to be 6 hours or more of sun daily, "part shade" 2 to 6 hours of sun, and "shade" 2 hours or less. A caution about weeds; no plant, native or not, is going to suppress unwanted plants, "weeds," from coming up. Know what your plant looks like, and be ruthless in pulling out everything else.
Ground cover plants for southeastern Alabama:
Phyla nodiflora (turkey tangle fogfruit)
Dichondra carolinensis (Carolina ponysfoot)
Hydrocotyle umbellata (manyflower marshpennywort)
Geranium carolinianum (Carolina geranium)
Calyptocarpus vialis (straggler daisy)
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Viola cucullata (marsh blue violet)
Viola pedata (birdfoot violet)
Viola septemloba (southern coastal violet)
Viola sororia (common blue violet)
Viola walteri (prostrate blue violet)
Phlox divaricata (wild blue phlox)
Phlox latifolia (wideflower phlox)
Phlox stolonifera (creeping phlox)
More Groundcovers Questions
Ground cover for under a maple tree in DE
December 22, 2010 - In my front yard in Newark, Delaware, I have a HUGE maple tree that shades the whole yard and most of its roots are visible and make the yard very "bumpy." Consequently, grass does not grow well the...
view the full question and answer
Ground cover for wildlife in Virginia
March 01, 2009 - Looking for a good ground cover to replace what we've got growing in front of our condo in Northern Virginia. Something to provide cover for the birds and their fledgelings in the spring and summer, ...
view the full question and answer
Groundcover for foot traffic in dry shade from Prineville OR
May 12, 2013 - I live in central Oregon. I have an area under a large elm tree that slopes on all sides and has lots of foot traffic and no sun. (my kids have a swing in the tree and play around it a lot.) It's a v...
view the full question and answer
Low maintenance plants for crack in concrete
July 01, 2008 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I would like to grow some very low maintenance weeds, mosses and flowers out of a crack in a slab of concrete. Can you recommend any species that would do well in this sort...
view the full question and answer
Non-vascular moss between flagstones in Mechanicsburg PA
July 11, 2009 - We would like to plant moss between our flagstone. However, the moss will have full sun all day. Can you recommend a moss for Central Pennsylvania near Harrisburg?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |