Ground Covers for West Texas

Frog Fruit being trained to cover former lawn area

Photo by Debbie Roland

By Debbie Roland, Master Gardeners

Replacing your Bermuda or St. Augustine grasses with a xeric alternative is a popular alternative for West Texas lawns.  Not only are ground covers beautiful, but they will save you money on your water, electric bill, and time spent mowing.  Our extreme temperatures and limited rainfall are posing a challenge to many homeowners.  Permian Basin Master Gardeners recommend several hardy plants that are ideal for our climate.

By the way, did you know that on our website you can access a list of all the recommended plants for our area?  Go to westtexasgardening.org.  Click on Resources, scroll down to Plant Information then simply click on Recommended Plant List.  This site is a wealth of information.  All our newspaper articles and many handouts are available online and can be printed to take with you to the nursery of your choice.

On with the ground covers.  Here is a full list of recommended plants by botanical and by common name which should help when you are looking at labels:

Ajuga	Ajuga reptans
Creeping Germander	Teucrium aroanium
Dalea, Sierra Gold	Dalea capitata ‘Sierra Gold’
Frogfruit	Phyla nodiflora
Pigeonberry	Rivina humilis
Plumbago, Dward (Leadwort)	Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Purple Heart	Trandescantia pallida ‘Purpea’
Prostrate Rosemary	Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’
Snake Herb	Dyschoriste linearis
Winecup	Callirhoe involucrata
Woolly Stemodia	Stemodia lanata

A few of favorites are:

Ajuga.  Typically grown in a shady location but planting in the sun will slow down its growth which makes it easier to control.  This plant requires watering if planted in a dry spot but it requires no fertilizer.  It is self-seeding and deadheading will alleviate its rapid spread.  Removing runners will help as well 

Creeping Germander.   Very versatile.  Can be planted in beds or be allowed to “creep” between rocks in a walkway or over a garden wall.  A good trim in mid to late spring helps prevent it from getting leggy.  This plant is cold tolerant in our zone.

Frogfruit.   I can particularly recommend Frogfruit as a replacement for a lawn area.  Once established it requires little water and can take moderate traffic without hurting the plants.  It spreads on its own and is especially pretty when flowering.  Frogfruit will be a short groundcover; however, if watered occasionally it can grow up to 12” tall. 

Purple Heart.  I have grown this plant with much success.  Three plants covered a 25’ bed the first year.  It dies back at the first freeze.  Trim in late winter and it comes back every year.  Minimal watering during growing season. 

These ground covers are great for covering your soil in beds.  Remember that all your soil should be covered with plants or with mulch to keep weeds down and moisture in.

For more information about growing figs in our area, see our previous blog articles https://www.westtexasgardening.org/post/a-love-affair-with-figs

 and https://www.westtexasgardening.org/post/_figs.

If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700.   Additional information, and our blog for access to past articles, is available at westtexasgardening.org.  Click on “Resources.”