Plant Description

Dichondra argentea

Dichondra argentea Silver Falls growing on the edge of a brick path in my Sydney garden

Dichondra argentea 'Silver Falls' is a silver-leaved groundcover I never had any luck with until I planted it at the edge of a garden bed. It promptly climbed over onto the side of the adjacent brick path, where it is simply flourishing in the hot and well-drained conditions. I love its dainty, rounded, silver leaves, strung together on long stems. It has softened the hard surface of the bricks in a way I could never have planned or even imagined! I don't know how this will all end: perhaps it intends to take over all of the paving in the garden? At the moment, the effect is quite charming.

It can be grown in a hanging basket, from which the 1-2 m stems will cascade dramatically, as illustrated at left. It has tiny, silvery flowers. It can cope with part-shade. Dichondra argentea is native to desert regions of the south-western USA and Mexico. In areas with frosty winters, it may have to be regarded as an annual.

Of Interest

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Dichondra argentea
Plant Family: Convolvulaceae