Turf Alternatives
Having a prestigiously green lawn in Florida can be time consuming, expensive, and often not best for the environment. There are various beautiful turf alternatives that are low maintenance and thrive in various sun, salt, and soil conditions. Blooming ground covers do something grass doesn’t - it attracts pollinators! Below I will lay out a few ground cover options that may be a good fit for your yard or garden.
Twinflower
I recently discovered and came to absolutely love Twinflower as a ground cover! Twinflower, scientifically known as Dyschoriste oblongifolia, is a Florida native plant that blooms petite lavender flowers all year long. It does well in full sun or part shade and once established it is drought tolerant.
Bees and butterflies are very attracted to Twinflower. The Common buckeye butterflies use it as a host plant for its caterpillars and the Malachite and White peacock adult butterflies are drawn to this groundcover.
Field Trip Idea :: If you get a chance to explore the Brevard Discovery Garden, which is maintained by the Brevard County UF/IFAS Master Gardener volunteers in Cocoa, Florida, you will see how we utilized Twinflower in various areas as a ground cover.
(Photo above is Twinflower ground cover that is planted in an area of my yard that receives part sun.)
Perennial Peanut
Looking for a flowering turf alternative that is resistant to drought, pathogens, and nematodes? Look no further! Perennial Peanut is a great ground cover to consider for any Florida yard or garden.
Perennial Peanut is sun and salt tolerant once established. What do I mean by “once established”? I would recommend watering this ground cover at least every three days for about a month after planting to ensure the plant’s root system becomes established.
Environmental Bonus :: this ground cover is nitrogen fixing. You may be asking, “Ok, why is this chick talking about nitrogen?!?” Great question! Homeowners often fight the struggle of keeping their grass looking good or their soil fertile with chemical fertilizers. The main ingredients in synthetic fertilizers are typically nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Synthetic fertilizers can pollute the public drinking water and be a major contributor to algae blooms, like the ones happening here in the Indian River Lagoon and south Florida, that kill fish and plants that wildlife need to live - severely impacting the ecosystem. Perennial Peanut is a great turf replacement because it biologically fixes the nitrogen by creating a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in the soil without introducing unnecessary pollutants to the environment.
There are four different types of Perennial Peanut that can be found in your local Florida garden centers. Ecoturf is the variety that usually is easiest to find and most recommended by UF/IFAS.
During the cooler months, Perennial Peanut will become dormant if it frosts or freezes in your area. But don’t worry Northern and Central Florida gardenistas and gardeners, this resilient groundcover will return in the Spring.
Above is a photo of Perennial Peanut I snapped recently on a trip to Miami Beach, Florida. I spotted this beautiful ground cover that was in full sun, receiving salt spray from the Atlantic Ocean, and did not appear to have a permanent irrigation.
FrogFruit
You probably have seen FrogFruit in Florida greenscapes, but didn’t know the plant’s name. Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) is also a Florida native plant that has small light purple circular blooms. This ground cover is tolerant to water fluctuations and various soil conditions. It does well in full or part sun. It is an evergreen perennial, meaning this groundcover will stay green year round. Some folks consider this groundcover a weed because it can aggressively spread through lawns creating a low growing dense mat.
Frogfruit is a pollinator favorite. It is a larval host for the White Peacock, Common buckeye, and Phaon crescent butterflies and nectar source for other small butterflies and bees.
Above is a photo of Frogfruit I took in my back yard which receives full sun, lots of salt spray, and no irrigation.
Sunshine Mimosa
One of my favorite plants is the Sunshine Mimosa, scientifically known as Mimosa strigillosa. I love this groundcover so much I dedicated an entire blog to it a few years ago; which you can scope out here. Pollinators and humans alike love the quirky pink powderpuff blooms of the Sunshine Mimosa. The leaves are reactive, so when you touch them they close up. I’ve found this ground cover is so much fun to share with kids!
Sunshine Mimosa is a Florida native plant that is sun and salt tolerant. Once established, this plant requires little or no irrigation. This is another nitrogen fixing ground cover, so you don’t have to fertilize. It's resilient for all the reasons I mentioned above but I really appreciate how it can thrive in a high foot traffic environment.
During the cooler, winter months in Florida Sunshine Mimosa will go dormant. The leaves will drop off and it will not bloom. I would recommend planting this groundcover with other evergreen perennials, like Frogfruit, if you desire to keep a “green” looking lawn year round.
The photo above is the Sunshine Mimosa that covers most of my back yard. As I mentioned, I recommend planting with another perennial ground cover to keep the yard looking good year round.
Railroad Vine
Areas right on the beach that are very sandy, sunny, and salty are where the Railroad Vine flourishes. Unlike most plants, this groundcover only thrives in areas most do not. This is a flowering perennial that does very well in yards that have sandy, dry soils that need a groundcover that can withstand high winds. It is very succulent-like and commonly used as a beach stabilizer to prevent erosion caused by water or heavy winds.
Above is a photo of Railroad vine ground cover.
More Ground Covers!
Below are some additional ground covers to explore. I selected groundcovers that flourish in various conditions (sun, shade, sand, drought) so folks can find options to fit any Florida yard. Since I don’t have extensive personal experience with the ones listed below, I provided UF/IFAS links on each plant in the source section at the end of this blog.
Conradina, Large-Flowered Rosmary (Conradina grandiflora)
Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
Peacock Plant (Calathea makoyana)
Castiron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)
Be Environmentally Friendly, Use Your Time Wisely, & Save $
There are so many gorgeous alternatives to grass that can help save the environment while saving you time and money. I hope this blog helps you explore and discover how our landscapes can be aesthetically beautiful, offer benefits to wildlife, all while being more environmentally friendly and low maintenance.
Sources:
https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-phyla-nodiflora/
https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-dyschoriste-oblongifolia/
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/perennial-peanut.html
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/powderpuff-mimosa.html
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP587
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP139
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP476
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP086
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP053