Native Plants

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Tuesday - July 05, 2011

From: Sugar Land, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Groundcovers
Title: Need suggestions for groundcover in between flagstones in patio in Sugarland, TX.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

We are looking for a ground cover to plant in between our flagstone on our courtyard patio. The courtyard is full sun and we currently have a crushed rock-like substance in between the pieces. I thought about moss but I'm not sure if it would grow with it being so hot and dry. We also need something soft that furniture good easily sit on. Thank you.

ANSWER:

One approach is to go to our Native Plant Database and scroll down to the Combination Search Box. Select Texas under State, Herb under Habit, and Perennial under Duration. Check Sun under Light requirement, Dry under Soil moisture, and 0-1ft under Height. Click the Submit Combination Search Button and you will get a list of 46 native species that meet these criteria. Clicking on the scientific name of each species will bring up its NPIN page that has a description of the plant along with growth requirements and images. These aren’t all suitable for growing between flagstones, but there are some that you might like.

Here are a few that I found that may be possibilities:

Calyptocarpus vialis (Straggler daisy)

Dichondra argentea (Silver ponyfoot)

Mitchella repens (Partridgeberry) part shade

Phyla nodiflora (Texas frogfruit)

Sedum nanifolium (Dwarf stonecrop)