grasses and ground covers

[bluesboy]

i'm getting ready to bulldoze my lot with a driveway, housepad and garden pad. the entire bulldozed area will be ripped and rolled. i am then going to bring in gravel for the driveways and structure areas, and maybe even the yard. i'm looking for a good ground cover for the yard and sides of the driveway. i would like something that is permeable to water so there won't be puddling/mud and something that doesn't grow too quick. i'm not into planting a bunch of work for myself. one thought was peanut grass. i'd love to hear your suggestions and experiences.

[Andy]

Sida fallax (Ilima papa), Hemigraphis, Alternanthera, and Lantana montividensis ( the ground cover one that doesn't produce seed and isn't considered invasive as opposed to the shrub Lantana camara), Pennyroyal, Jacqmontia(sp?) and Isotoma have all done well for me

[bluesboy]

thanks for that useful list, that helps get me started. additionally, i am located in mountain view on the kilauea side, which gets about 180" rain per year.

some of these look really promising. here's a little of what i was able to learn about these.

Sida Fallax (Ilima) sounds promising - good in the sun and dry. although it may be to wet where i'm at in mtn view.

Hemigraphis (Red Ivy) also sounds promising - good for shady areas.

Alternanthera in a few forms is native (kului/papala) but does not look like a ground cover per se.

Lantana montividensis does not look native.

Pennyroyal sounds toxic.

Jacquemontia sandwicensis (kaupoʻo) sounds like it is better around 150' elevation or less, and on the leeward side of the islands. this looks like a really beautiful ground cover.

Isotoma - i couldn't find too much info on this other than it was for sale at home depot on maui.

[Kelena]

I don't care for peanut grass. It appears to be invasive. It goes everywhere, and doesn't stay nice and low like it should. I thought it would be nice. They talk about it on the Gaia Nursery website. But it doesn't make peanuts and it isn't grass, and can get pretty high here.

[tada]

Pigweed was recommended in the Super Simple Garden book by Barbara Fahs. Seems to grow really good in gutters too!

[bananahead]

'Ilima is a great choice if you are in a dryer area like lower Puna along coastal flats like HPP Seaview etc., ......or if wetter like upper Puna, planting in straight cinder and restricting the water a bit with cover. Also be sure to get the "papa" type, the very low growing (under 8") type with almost perfectly round graygreen leaves, this papa type is very common along the Kau coast (right along coast in oceanspray zone to 10' elevation...PS natural wild 'Ilima is rare in Puna). Be careful, there are other types of Hawaiian 'Ilima with the same exact binomial name (scientific name ie Sida Fallax) that are not nearly as low growing and are more of a shrub as high as 4' and have a greener color leaf that is pointy like a hibiscus leaf...... (In other words, the round graygreen leaf 'Ilima is the low growing type)... both are sometimes sold at nurseries, but I see the taller form more often. 'Ilima doesnt root at the nodes so each plant has its limits in as far as it will grow. With rooting powder it can be propagated from cuttings but not nearly as easy as the non-native weedy types of ground cover. 'Ilima is in the hibiscus family as you can tell by the flowers, and is the island flower of Oahu. It is also the flower used for the ancient Hawaiian leis that look like a yellow rope (dont know the name) that royalty wore often on top their heads or as a lei...... it took thousand of flowers for one lei. I have about 15-20 'Ilima papa up here in MountainView, but it only does good (surprisingly good) under my eaves in cinder (my sunny side roof eaves extend about 8' out and are well off the ground 12'+), At my place 'Ilima doesnt do well out in the elements or in any kind of water holding soil, Ive tried many times to plant it out in open areas, they always fade and die. Its a coastal or Kona side plant

if you want to stay native and dont want to mix with nonnative.......there other endemic low growing plants to mix in w/'Ilima...
One of my favorites in dryer areas is 'Akia, but again it has to be the low growing form (most of the 12 types of 'Akia are shrubs to trees), the only real low one is from Maui and called "Wikstroemia uva-ursi".... seen often on Kona side in planters and center dividers, attractive graygreen foliage (similar to a manzanita), with bright orange to red berries.

Another native graygreen foliage plant that would compliment 'Ilima and "Akia is called Pohinahina (Vitex rotundifolia). Pohinahina trails low to ground but not real low, and is another coastal plant, it has purple flowers. The only place Ive seen it on this side is along the Hilo area at end of road near Kings Landing (past 4 mile/Richardsons etc.) park and hike south (towards Shipman Beach) less than 1/2 mile along the coast. Pohinahina works good from cuttings.

PS. these 3 plants above you can NOT walk on, they will break, they are woody plants that last for years. If you want something to walk on the non-native "perennial peanut" aka "hippiegrass" is lower, and you can walk on it, but it roots at nodes and will move.





save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha

[bananahead]

I see now you are in Mountainview. There will be NO native plants that are considered groundcover (besides some small ferns and peperomia) that will grow "good" in wet areas like Mountainview. All of the indigenous and endemic Hawaiian plants that are low growing are coastal or windy barren area plants (ie up in Saddle Road area, ie Hawaiian strawberry, Kukaenene, 'Ulei, etc.) that get a ton of sun ...thus the attractive dull gray-green color leaves on most because of the tiny sun reflective hairs.

save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha

[durian]

use ground cover peanut (arachis pintoi) where you won't be walking a lot, and mow it every 4 months or so to encourage lower growth. In areas where you will walk a lot, use a non-seeding grass.

[bluesboy]

the native plants are definitely more enticing to me, but i understand what you are saying about the environment not being exactly right - although it sounds like i can selectively plant it in places where it will be more sheltered. i'm open to other types of ground covers, including peanut grass, that would do better where i'm at. I may sound ambitious, and i've lived in glenwood for 5 years, and it's only a few miles away as a crow flies, but my new place in mtn view is much drier, and it's up on a hill and gets a lot of sunlight and breezes.

i would like to be able to walk in some places, but other places, i would prefer to just cover the ground with something to inhibit the weeds from ever coming in. i'm trying to do this right from the beginning so i'm not fighting back a bunch of weeds in 3 months.

what about ala ala wainui? i have a couple of those in a greenhouse in pots and they seem like they would do really well up here. i'd like to get them in the ground to see if they will start spreading.

any other suggestions for ground covers for mtn view area that are not necessarily native, but not invasive either?

[bluesboy]

i picked up some ilima, pau o hiiaka and ala ala wainui at the sustainability expo last week. ilima has yellow flowers and pau o hiiaka has light blue floweres. the ala ala wainui has no flowers, but is my favorite, it is just so darn cute. thanks to Allie at Lehua Lena