We’ve successfully gotten rid of our St Augustine front lawn over the last three years, substituting native perennial flowers, shrubs, ground covers, and herbs for the grass.
In one large, full sun section, we’ve cultivated the groundcover, frogfruit. We sparsley planted plugs in early March and it has thickly spread all the way to the edges of its designated border.
Why frogfruit?
Frogfruit is a genus of the verbena family. It spreads by tightly clustered shoots that grab onto the surface of your soil, rooting itself into a dense mat-like growth. With its tiny white blooms, frogfruit is a favorite magnet for pollinators. It thrives in direct sun and hot climates, goes dormant in mild winters, and its compact growth discourages weeds. It is also economical, saving on water bills, lawn fertilizer, and weed killers. In addition, no mowing is necessary.
Frogfruit is a win-win as a lawn replacement. Best of all, it provides optimum support for your local ecology.
I have been thrilled with its performance and am rooting some more plugs for other areas in the backyard.
Do you have the ecological vision to replace your lawn?
Each little flower
Bathes in the sun’s shower,
Reflecting a wavelength of light.
Radiantly it beams
Attracting small-winged things
Offering them drinks of delight
In exchange for the treat,
Pollen beads onto their feet
And is carried to the next feeding place
Where some rubs off the bead,
Causing mixture of seed
Allowing the flower to continue its race.
I need to try this!!!
So easy to grow, but hard to find! Maybe around Austin it will be easier. Solarize the area you would like to cover now with cardboard right over the closely cropped grass, cover with dirt and mulch, leave it alone through till early spring, then go on the hunt for some plugs. It will multiply quickly and cover densely.