The MGS Forum
Plants for mediterranean gardens => Perennials => Topic started by: gertrude on August 06, 2011, 09:00:32 PM
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We are NOT 'lawn' people, but there are areas of the garden which lend itself to a swathe of grass and living in Italy, we see swathes of lush turf which is obviously not British. Does anyone know the name of any grass which would be drought and heat resistant, and would survive cold winter months. Normal summer temps for 2 months are usually 30 degs + .
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The heat-resistant tropical lawn grasses such as Zoysia matrella (syn. Z. tenuifolia), bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon and its relatives such as Cynodon 'Santa Ana'), and perhaps the finer-leaved cultivars of the coarse st augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) do need less much water than our temperate lawn grasses, and stay green in hot conditions, but depending on how cold you are will be browned off in winter. Would that matter to you? If so, you could try the suggestion by Hugo Latymer (in his classic book The Mediterranean Gardener) of over-sowing a rye grass in autumn, which would come up quickly with the autumn rains and stay green through the winter, dying back as the warmer-growing grasses took over the following spring.
When we visited the nursery of Olivier Filippi, at the MGS meeting in Uzés (South of France) a few years ago, he showed us interesting plots of waterwise small-leaved lawn alternatives such as Achillea crithmifolia, the grey-leafed Thymus mastichina (syn. T. ciliatus), which does well for us unwatered in a hot garden in Greece, and Frankenia laevis – all quite different in appearance from lawns, but much more truly Mediterranean-looking. His nursery is on the draft list of plant suppliers you can find by clicking here (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=158.0).
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Dear "Gertrude", where do you see "swathes of lush turf" in Italy? Surely it must be watered? Does it fit into the surrounding landscape OK? I find that in an urban situation it is OK to see bright green grass but in rural areas such "swathes" stick out like a sore thumb when the countryside around is mellowing to a straw yellow before the autumn rains come.
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We use Phyla nodiflora very successfully which we plant between bald patches of 'grass'.
Ours is NOT a lawn per se but a green area in which we plant anything that will be green for part of the year. Phyla nodiflora is very pretty with small white flowers which can be cut or mowed as you wish. It creeps along and adds roots. We also have Frankenia laevis which has not been as successful for us. As well, Achillea crithmifolia which doesn't do well here. We initially planted several of these ground covers as 'plugs' with the inherited 'grass' and the P. nodiflora has been the best of all.
It does, however, take time in our climate.
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Dear Umbrian - out and about in Marche we often see 'swathes' of lovely grass, yes maybe they water it, which we wouldn't, (too much other stuff to worry about) but it would be nice to have grass on certain areas of our garden instead of perennial and annual weeds.
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:) Hi Janice, I was wondering who was hiding behind that name! I wonder if Phyla nodiflora can stand the kind of winter temperatures that you must have. I know that where Pamela gardens it does not drop as low as we experience here in Umbria. If you just want green areas rather than something that resembles grass, I have been very successful with prostrate Juniper, don't ask exactly which one because, as I am sure you know, plants are not labelled very well here. I planted about 5 small specimens spaced along the centre of our long pool border about 10 years ago. After the first year ,when they were watered to establish them ,they have been on their own and have each made huge plants, spreading in all directions and rooting as they go. In fact they have been too successful in one way as they are surrounding all the plants around them and I have had to curb their enthusiasm. Pieces cut off however have roots and have been transplanted into other areas where I need green ground cover. These need quite careful attention in the beginning as the roots are quite small,occuring along the length of the "branch" but I have been successful with some. The soil in the pool border is really just sub-soil from the pool excavation so this plant is a real survivor! It keeps very low to the ground on the whole and the odd exuberant growth can be trimmed off with no ill effects. I am sure I have a photograph somewhere that I will look out if you are interested. Carole
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Here in Montpellier, where we experienced low temperatures as -6°C, I have Phyla nodiflora and it is really a great groundcover. It loves beeing watered of course but stands very well drought. It will expanse more slowly, if not watered. It attracts lot of bees, so can be an inconvenient if you have children running about. During the winter, it is brown and not green.
On the other hand, I have a small patch around my olive tree planted with Matricaria tchihatchewii, no mowing as for Phyla, watered once a week in summer, flowering in spring, and standing a lot of cold, green all year long. I planted more than 500 small seedlings in december. At the time I received it from the nursery where I ordered them, it was in december and the small "plantules" were frozen. I thought it was a desperate planting day, but they survived and thrived.
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I agree with Chantal. P nodifolia is an excellent ground cover however it will brown off in the winter. It is low maintenance except for clipping excess growth from time to time. It does attract bees in their scores.
O Filippi has published a leaflet entitled " Les alternatives to gazon " in which he lists Lippia, Zoysia Dichondra ( a favourite among Californians, Frankenia, Stenotaphrum and various thymes, Matricaria tchihatchewii and Cynodon. I think that the consensus for a mediterranean "lawn" is a mix of those species that you find suit your climate and needs. David
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In Australia we often use a local plant Myoporum parvifolium for a 'lawn look' - it looks especially good in an Australian native garden but works aesthetically in most situations. Known also as Creeping Boobialla, it won't stand a lot of foot traffic but doesn't mind extreme drought or very hot conditions. There are several forms including one with purple foliage which looks great with grey foliage plants but the lushest greenest is known simply as 'Broad Leaf Form'. All have lovely little white flowers in spring.
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Thanks for that, Ginny - and a big welcome, to our first poster from Australia!
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Ah - Ginny an expert on an Australian native plant I am trying to grow!
Do you know the best time / method to take cuttings?
I have been taking them when friends prune theirs, with mixed success. I have lost only a few, but of the successful ones, many are very slow to get going.
I also wonder about sweeping up the berries later in the year and scattering them on the slope where I am trying to establish this plant. Might that work, or should I extract the seeds and sow them in pots to start with?
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I haven't tried propagating Myoporum but have had success with cutting and transplanting rooted pieces in winter. However my friend Margaret Lee is an expert on Australian plants and she has said the following:
I usually take cuttings any time from Spring to Autumn. They strike very readily here, without bottom heat, in the warmer months. I always use cuttings so I know they’ll come true to form. That’s probably less of a worry where there’s only one form grown. I’ve never grown them from seed and don’t know any other Australian Plants members who have.
Scattering seed may work, but there would probably be better germination if ripe berries were soaked and cleaned and the seed extracted.
I hope this is some help.
A couple of years back when we were experiencing terrible drough conditions I saw in the hard compacted soil of a disused carpark, a patch of green - checked it out as weeds etc had all had given up but there was Myoporum, almost thriving. I grow it along a small verge bordering my road facing north/west so it gets full summer sun, and radiated heat but always looks good - just needs pruning rather than mowing every so often.
Do you grow many Australian plants?
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I agree with gggardener, Myoporum parvifolium is a great plant, a very attractive shade of green, very drought tolerant and a very effective groundcover. I also live in Australia and have found the Phyla canescens (known here as Lippia). extremely hardy, could be invasive if nurtured in any way, however is very drought tolerant, although I prefer the colour and shine on the leaf of Myoporum. Phyla canescens was extensively used years ago in lawns, but can be a problem when in flower due to bees being extremely attracted to the flowers.
Another grass which is being used more here where a lawn is wanted is Microlaena stipoides (weeping grass) a native grass, very hardy and is quite successful particularly if used with some of the Danthonia sp (Kangaroo grass) also a native species. Due to the drought conditions in some parts of Australia, the traditional patch of "Lawn" in the front garden, has been replaced with species which are less desirous of water, or in some cases hard surfaces have been used.
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Apologies to anyone who has read my previous comment and may be confused - in my enthusiasm to contribute,I have had a moment of "brain fade". Danthonia sp is commonly known here in Australia as Wallaby Grass not Kangaroo grass which is Themeda sp. Apologies once again, I must stop trying to do more than one thing at a time!!
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Thank you Ginny and Margaret, and Julie.
No I don't grow many Australian plants (just Callistemon and Myoporum), but have some in my spreadsheet of potentials.
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Can I respond to the question about growing Australian plants? I know it was aimed at Mike but I also garden in Cyprus, although, I believe, in different conditions to Mike. He describes his as sloping and his soil as marl whilst my 'field' is flat and with reasonably fertile soil. Personally, I find Westringia fruticosa, Lagunaria patersonii and Eremophilla maculata extremely useful and needing virtually no summer water once established.
Grevilleas can sometimes be found here too. As I look out of my window right now my neighbour's G robusta dominates the front of their house.
On a slightly different note, when the British came here in the late 1800s they planted several varieties of Ecalypts and Acacias. They did this especially in marshy areas in order to try to drain them and reduce the incidence of malaria. However, over the years they have become a pest, especially the Acacias, and the Forestry Dept have the task of clearing large areas in an attempt to allow the regrowth of native species.
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John, even here in the Adelaide Hills there are Acacias which are indigenous to other parts of Australia, but have become weed pests here. The Acacia generally is quite short lived and is known as a colonising species - their seeds being one of the first to germinate after a fire. The seeds may have lain dormant in the soil for years. I am fortunate living next to many acres of natural bush, some of which is very good quality with little weed presence. I get to enjoy the different indigenous Acacias in flower for some months. At present yellow is the flower colour of the month, there must be a pollinator around which loves yellow. Different shades of yellow profusely flowering throughout the hills creating a beautiful display. I have taken some photos which I will endeavour to load soon.
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Julie - lovely portrayal.
John - thanks for tips; I have Westringia fruticosa on my to-get list but the other two are new to me.
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John & Mike - Westringia fruticosa is a fabulous plant, wonderful for trimming, in fact I think superior to the Buxus. There are a number of Westringia now available here some with a slight variegated leaf giving a silver overall appearance. The Lagunaria patersonii unfortunately wouldn't thrive at my hills home however may be tempted to give it a try in Adelaide, the flower reminds me of the Crowea sp. The Eremophila maculata is lovely. There are many Eremophila, quite a range of colour and form, worth a try.
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Eremophila certainly lives up to its name which roughly translates as Desert Lover. It seems to thrive in the poorest of soils as long as the drainage is good.
Care needs to be taken in the siting of Lagunaria. I believe in parts of Australia it is known as Cow Itch Tree or Itchy Bomb Tree? This is due to the mass of tiny barbed hairs that are produced in the seed pods. I haven't experienced it but I'm told that they can be extremely irritant, if not downright painful. Certainly not something you'd want to brush against next to a path.
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Rosie Peddle, leading light of the Portugal branch of the MGS, suggests that a series of articles by her and other MGS members about doing without lawns, published in Algarve Resident, are relevant. To read these interesting articles, click on each of them below:
To lawn or not to lawn (http://www.algarveresident.com/41755-0/algarve/to-lawn-or-not-to-lawn)
Life after grass (http://www.algarveresident.com/41927-0/algarve/life-after-grass)
Another view on life after grass (http://www.algarveresident.com/42273-0/algarve/life-after-grass)
Interview with two MGS members who decided against a lawn (http://www.algarveresident.com/0-43251/algarve/no-lawn-thank-you).
Thanks, Rosie!
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Top dressing the info on this 'Grass' topic...
Dichondra repens (which has been mentioned briefly)
an excellent lush looking candidate for shady and semi shady lawns. It is best grown from seed in early Spring, the seedlings will establish quickly with a good water in the first year. I seed into patches of my existing lawn. Once the plant has established it will spread and can be cut up in squares to establish the plant in other areas. D. repens needs a little water to look at its best, once a week or so.
(http://www.themediterraneangardener.co.uk/background/sources-of-water/lawns/ (http://www.themediterraneangardener.co.uk/background/sources-of-water/lawns/))
warm-season lawn substitute that remains green for long periods and reproduces strongly. Dichondra repens forms short, dense cover and is important in conservation of water and soil. It retains its green color during winter to -8 ℃ with only slight leaf browning and is resistant to diseases and heavy metals contamination
(http://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/abstract/abstract9708.shtml (http://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/abstract/abstract9708.shtml))
Does anybody have experience of Dichondra repens?
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Mike ask the Californians ; it is extremely popular there. It needs lots and lots of water and would not qualify for waterwise gardening.
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I would just like to say how impressed I was with Myoporum too. I saw it used as a ground cover in Tortosa, Catalonia and the deep green all year round effect requires very little watering and stays very low and form a distance lawn like.
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This forum never stops amazing me. Lovely Phyla nodiflora is a native in this partof the world. Our normal rainfall is 900-1300 mm. so this is a very versatile plant.
Instead of Dichondra repens,I would sugggest Dichondra sericea for your dry climates.
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Lippia nodiflora is a great ground cover with small white flowers, long shoots which peg very easily and requires little to no watering. It does attract the bees however.
Olivier Filippi will discuss alternative ground covers to lawns in Montpellier on the 21st January. MGS members are invited.
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Can anyone provide a photo or link to the groundcover Lippia nodiflora, mentioned here. Lippias from this part of the world are all lanky habit shrubs.
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I believe it is a synonym for Phyla nodiflora, there are many links on the internet, including much better photos than the one I took last month when I visited Brian. We went to a fantastic nursery specializing in mediterranean plants, everything well kept and properly labelled with Latin names. The nursery is called Cultidelta, in Amposta (Tarragona). The photo shows some pots with this plant, which were sold in trays with 40 pots. They have a website where you can see the address etc., but few of the links are working: http://www.cultidelta.com/.
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http://www.google.fr/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=fr&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=600&q=lippia+nodiflora&oq=lippia+nodiflora&aq=0&aqi=g2g-v8&aql=&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=62687l68801l0l75218l16l15l0l8l8l0l439l2054l0.1.2.3.1l7l0
http://www.pepiniere-bourelle.com/PHYLA-Nodiflora
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I took this photo of what is labelled as Phyla filiformis a few years ago in the gardens of the Forestry Department Visitor Centre in Athalassa Park, Nicosia. It's Greek name refers to its attraction for bees.
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I believe Phyla filiformis is another synonym for P. nodiformis, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyla_nodiflora. There are at least 12 different names for this plant.
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I believe you are right, Jorun, personally I usually refer to this particular plant as Phyla nodiflora.
I have a book, ABC of Flower Gardening in Cyprus, written by Lady Murphy and published in 1962 (actually this is the 2nd edition, I believe the original was published in 1956 but I haven't been able to track down a copy). In it her ladyship states, under the heading Lawns, that she has "....found the best substitute for grass is a creeping plant called 'Lippia', which thrives all through the hot weather if watered during summer, and it spreads rapidly". I'm sure this must be what we now call Phyla under one of its synonyms/pseudonyms? Just goes to show that the attempt to find a grass substitute is nothing new.
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Just to confirm what Jorun and John J have been saying, Phyla nodiflora is now the accepted name for the plant that everyone from Lady Murphy to David Bracey have called Lippia nodiflora.
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Dear Alisdair, just to go with the flow and Lady Murphy I have referred to Phyla nodilfora twice on the Forum and twice, dare I say it, as Lippia.
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Olivier Filippi has just published a book in French entitled "Alternatives to gazon" which will shortly be reviewed in TMG.
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Re Phyla. Can you walk on it?
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Yes.
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Yes but beware of the bees if near a pool or in bare feet. D
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Nodiflora Phyla / Lippia is an excellent cover for gardens with little watering in full sun or partial shade. In my area it was used as a ground cover plant in the past 50 years, according to gardeners old, being able to mow with a mower to make the plant look more dense and homogenous
Un saludo
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Welcome to the forum, Jordi from Catalunya!
Interesting to know that phyla has been used for such a long time as "lawn" in your area.
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Being a native here and a very fine groundcovernasn everyone knows I hesitate to say that I have always seen it consociated with other grasses in lawns. I have my doubts that it could stand being used as a heavy traffic lawn.
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I would like to thank everyone for their helpful, interesting advice re having a 'permanent' green space in our garden. It has all been taken on board and we'll let you know the outcome at the end of this year. Again, many thanks.
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David mentioned Olivier Filippi's new book, Alternatives au gazon; this has now been reviewed very favourably in the Mediterranean Garden Society's January journal. People who aren't members can read a bit about it on Amazon's French site (http://www.amazon.fr/Alternatives-au-gazon-Olivier-Filippi/dp/2742798919/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329899994&sr=1-1), and Olivier Filippi's own site has a detailed summary here (http://jardin-sec.pagesperso-orange.fr/livre%20alternatives%20au%20gazon.htm).
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Update on my Lippia nodiflora (given to me by Yiannos Orphanos)...
It has been planted on my steep bank for a few months now. It struggled at first, partly due to competition and lack of watering. But since I got on top of the weeding and got the irrigation to it, it started growing well - and now very well!
I planted it along the 'lip' of two parallel sub-horizontal paths (the paths also act to intercept storm runoff) on a steep bank of partly-consolidated dirt/soil. I planted it on the lip so my irrigation water would be more likely to stay where intended; that worked well. Now it is spreading both across the path (starting to go up the other side - good) and down the slope. It roots at each node, and quite quickly (unlike some other groundcovers). This is exactly what I want for stabilizing the steep slope against winter storms which otherwise cause gulleying, piecemeal erosion and potentially larger-scale slope failure. With it rooting so readily, I feel comfortable with the idea of gently top-dressing the plant with more soil to maintain the lip in future.
Now it is growing well, I am also pleased to see it even competing well with Aptenia cordifolia, the better-irrigated patches of which are rampant and lush now (the irrigation is primarily for shrubs through which the Aptenia is wandering). The Lippia extends fast enough that it can keep partly on top of the Aptenia.
These pictures show:
1. the excellent growth of both Lippia and Aptenia,
2. the same area, less close-up: showing the state of one of the paths where those plants have not yet reached - parched and distinctly ungardened
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About Cynodon dactylon. Very robust, takes foot traffic excellently. Does not survive with no irrigation at all, but regular, shallow irrigation is enough. Very low-maintenance. In winter gets brownish and does not take frost. Weeds start to grow fast amidst when the temperature goes down in the winter and in May or so, when the temperature gets to be well over 20 degrees it will suffocate the weeds (but it's good to do regular weeding in the winter). Needs a lot of sun and a very warm climate. Sides have to be pruned as the rhizomes run out (not very fast). Needs to be mown about every 2 weeks in summer.
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Do you know what variety your Cynodon is?? Was it bought locally? The only Cynodon I know in Europe is "Santana" which O. Fillippi sells. It is a very weak competitor. Suggest you give your lawn a good fertilise this autumn with an (NPK) strong phosphate based fertiliser and again in the spring with a strong nitrogen based NPK fertiilser in the spring. This should stop the weeds.
There are several Cynodon clones available from the Univ of Georgia under the "Tifway" brand but I never seen these here.
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Thanks for the advice, I did put some regular lawn fertilizer in last September, but that was all. It is amazing how fast it starts growing as soon as it gets warm enough, say about +25. The Cynodon lawn came with the house (Spanish owners) and is surely bought locally, all the neighbours have the same kind. We took most of it out and left it only on the sides. The sunnier side is always more lush.
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An interesting piece in a New Zealand farming paper about the behaviour of Phyla nodiflora and Phyla canescens in Australia:
http://straightfurrow.farmonline.co.nz/news/australianruralnews/agribusiness-and-general/general/noxious-weed-sold-as-waterwise/1413365.aspx
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There are many invasives, which are everywhere invasive, and there are obviously invasive native plants, which are ok in their native area and there are plants which are invasive in tropics, but not so in the med climate. I think it is essential to know, what plants are invasive in your area, and avoid them. Some people say, that they have nothing invasive in their garden, but that is not the point. The point is, that these plants selfseed, the seeds are carried out by animals, or the prunings get in the nature. There is a reason, if scientists tell us to avoid some plants.
But about the lawn substitutes. To put a piece of lawn is easy, but to dig it out is hard work... I have left a bit of Cynodon in our garden, as it was there before, is hard to dig out, is quite easy to control and it is nice to walk on barefoot, no bees or other biting insects in it. If you mow it even once in 3 weeks, it won't flower and the rhizomes are easy to rip off or cut on the sides. Cynodon is forbidden now in Canary Islands, but in Spain mainland it stops growing completely in winter, therefore should not get out of control.
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Here are two pics taken in the Cape, South Africa showing two "lawns", one of thyme and the other camomile.
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Yesterday we went to the Daisy Patch Nursery in Coonalpyn, a very small town between Adelaide and Melbourne (to locate it crudely). The nursery specialises in Australian natives of the more unusual kind. They have a large native garden that features masses of annual paper daisies but also have many really interesting plants I hadn't seen before inc. prostrate Grevilleas with leaves that resemble those of 'blue' Cycads. One plant that really stood out was a very prostrate wattle with very dense cover that was a rich, deep green and very fine leaves. I will ask the owner what it is. I recall he did say it was rare in the wild. He uses it as a low groundcover and it looks great but I doubt it would take much traffic. tn
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Davids picture of the thyme and camomile shows a very striking "lawn" but perhaps it is more a ground cover feature as I presume it cannot be walked on, other than for maintenance and it does have a fence around it. Still it is rather nice.
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John to my mind there is nothing that will substitute for a grass lawn..........to walk on. I do not have any details about the pics.
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Hi,
There is a lot of rubbish spoken about growing real grass lawns in the Med.
I grow 12 different types of grasses all drought resistant, and all grow in the med.
The amount of water required is quite manageable for a wonderful green lawn (not English).
You can find more useful information on www.lawnsinspain.com
If you want a real grass lawn - just choose the right type of grass.
Regards
Greengrass
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Greengrass, perhaps you would be kind enough to share the Latin names of your grass species with us. I have read your website and can find no reference to their names. Also i wonder what product you recommend for the control of Oxalis and your pre -emergence herbicide. Thanks .