A Worthy Groundcover Alternative

A number of years ago I was visiting a Master Gardener's garden when I noticed a red-flowering groundcover. I knew the plant as chenille plant and had always thought of it as a container plant that couldn't survive our winters. But the Master Gardener assured me that it was hardy here and gave me a clump of it. I planted the small clump in a spot in my yard, and now, probably fifteen years later, I feel I need to share the news. 

The plant, Acalypha pendula, going by the common name firetail chenille plant or dwarf chenille, outperforms my St. Augustine grass lawn. That can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. My main interest is just having a green cover on the ground. It doesn't have to be pure St. Augustine grass. So, if the firetail chenille holds up better in some areas than the St. Augustine grass, so be it. If, however, you wanted to have a defined line between the two, then, just as with most spreading groundcovers, you would have a problem as the chenille encroaches into the lawn. 

I mow the firetail chenille just as I do the St. Augustine lawn. It begins flowering again in a few days. Sometimes, when it has lots of flowers, I may let it go a little longer between mowings, or I may mow it just a little higher, so as to enjoy the flowers more. But I have found the groundcover to be as reliable, or actually more so, than the lawn grass. It requires less water and crowds out the weeds better. It won't take excessive foot traffic (eg. kids' play areas or pet areas), but it holds up almost as well as the lawn grass under normal use. All in all, I find it to be a good alternative and/or compliment to the lawn grass. Oh, and it does stay pretty much green during the winter. It grows in sun to shade.

Is it too aggressive? I don't think so. I have an area where I had it and then converted that area to a bed. It hasn't been a problem. There are still some remnants of it in the bed but only at the base of the plants where I didn't pull all of it out. Is it invasive in wild areas? I have a large lot, mostly wooded, and I've never seen it spread into the natural areas. 

If you wish to buy some, be sure you get the firetail or dwarf chenille and not the cattail chenille plant with the longer flowers. 

This photo was taken today, just a few days after it was mowed to the same height as the St. Augustine grass and most of the flowers were cut off. As you can see, it has fewer trouble spots in it than does the lawn. That's why it has gradually taken over large portions of the lawn. I consider it my flowering lawn.