A lawn alternative
Dymondia margaretae
This low growing , water wise , maintenance free alternative to lawn has been sitting under our noses all the time without us realising its value . Is this our new green diamond ?
When I first came across this evergreen perennial ground cover , I really did not pay much attention to it . However , when I saw it being used on verges and around shopping malls as an alternative to lawn in South Africa , I asked myself , “ What do they know that I don ’ t ?”. So with my curiosity getting the better of me , I jumped onto Google and realised that this low growing ground cover could be the green diamond most of us have been looking for – an alternative to lawn requiring no upkeep whatsoever .
Dymondia , also known as the Silver Carpet , is an indigenous plant to the Western Cape in South Africa , yet it is more popular in Australia and the USA . In the hotter and drier areas of these countries , people have used it to relawn their gardens , cover their verges , plant in between pavers and I have even come across articles on people using it on golf courses .
The irony is that it is actually endangered in South Africa and it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild due to agricultural expansion , road construction and alien invasive species . It is now only found in three places within an 800 square kilometre radius .
So what makes this little ground cover so popular ?
Most importantly , it is much more water wise and drought tolerant than lawn due its long roots , which act as water wells providing water to the plant as needed . I must say that I am still propagating en masse to grow it in my garden as a lawn , but from what I have read , most say that it only needs at least one good deep watering once a month .
However , the real magic about Dymondia is that the top side of the leaf is green and the bottom is grey ; when it desperately needs water , the leaf will actually tell you , as it will curl to prevent any farther evaporation , showing the greyish silvery side , hence its name the Silver Carpet .
The other great aspect that makes it very low maintenance is that it doesn ’ t need to be mowed as it grows to about 5cm high only . It also grows into a carpet-forming mat with a compact , neat habit and stunning blue-grey foliage with a small yellow flower , which appears in spring or summer . So ,
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