Native Groundcovers

Dwarf Yaupon Holly

Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'

Dwarf Yaupon Holly is a compact, mounding evergreen shrub that reaches 3 to 5 feet tall with small, spineless, dark green leaves. It tolerates heat, drought, and clay soil and responds well to shearing for low hedges and borders.

Frogfruit

Phyla nodiflora (L.) Greene

A low, spreading native groundcover and butterfly host plant that works as a genuine lawn alternative.

Gregg’s Mistflower

Conoclinium dissectum

A spreading native perennial that erupts into clouds of lavender-blue blooms right as fall monarch migration peaks.

Northern Sea Oats

Chasmanthium latifolium

Northern Sea Oats is a native shade-loving grass with bamboo-like foliage and dangling oat-like seed heads that persist through winter.

Prairie Verbena

Verbena bipinnatifida (syn. Glandularia bipinnatifida)

A fast-spreading native groundcover with bright purple blooms that opens the pollinator season each spring.

Silver Ponyfoot

Dichondra argentea

Silver ponyfoot is a low, trailing groundcover with silky silver leaves. It forms a dense mat that tolerates heat, drought, and lean soil.

Wright's Skullcap

Scutellaria wrightii

A low, mat-forming Hill Country native prized as a tough groundcover for rocky, sun-baked spots where little else thrives.