Dichondra is a small genus of flowering plants that belong to the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. They are perennial, herbaceous plants which grow prostrate, with creeping stems which take root readily at the leaf nodes. The tiny flowers are only 2 to 3mm in diameter and can be white, or a greenish or yellowish colour Members of this genus are commonly called “Ponysfoot” or “Silver Nickle Vine” and are native to tropical and cool temperate regions around the world.

Dichondra argentea is a species native to the desert regions of western Texas, New Mexico, south eastern Arizona and northern Mexico. 

Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ is a garden cultivar which is loved for its velvety-soft silver leaves, and glistening stems that will cascade up to 1.2m long, resembling a waterfall of tiny silver coins.

Dichondra 'Emerald Falls' is another garden cultivar with brilliant emerald green leaves, and a more rounded shape than 'Silver Falls', producing a wider but shorter plant.

'Silver'Falls' Dichondra. Picture courtesy Ball Horticultural CompanyIn the Garden:

Dichondra is a great addition to modern city gardens where they are planted on balconies, in courtyards, in rock gardens, and even in vertical or rooftop gardens. They blend just as effortlessly into romantic picking and cottage, gardens, and because the cascading foliage last well in a vase, florists use it as a filler plant for floral arrangements. Because it can complement endless colour combinations, allow your creative juices to flow when using this little plant. Even if you only have a small balcony garden you could plant into hanging baskets to create a curtain of gorgeous foliage for privacy.

Because the stems can cascade up to 1.2m long, Dichondra, and especially “Silver Falls,  is a fantastic trailing accent plant for hanging baskets, and also looks beautiful cascading down steps, or over retaining walls and tall pots. Both make a lovely groundcover and will need to be planted about 90cm apart, depending on which variety you are growing.

Both the green and silver forms make a bold statement all on their own in the garden, but they also blend well with other plants to provide contrast. Use them to cool down brightly coloured landscapes, and to provide subtle contrast for gardens with lots of green, leafy plants.

Both combine well with cascading or groundcover petunia varieties like 'Wave', 'Supertunia', 'Cascadia' and the 'Surfinia' series, because these petunias also make an excellent groundcover for large areas and can be used as bedding plants or trailing in containers.

Members can click here to read more about growing petunias and the various varieties.

'Silver Falls' Dichondra. Picture courtesy Ball Horticultural Company'Angel Mist' Angelonia is another good companion with its rounded upright growth habit and long blooming season, which makes them perfect bedding plants and worthwhile additions to background plantings in flower borders. Numerous hybrids have been bred for flower performance and compact growth; making them an ideal choice for colourful container plantings. They also blend beautifully with other annuals and cascading plants like Dichondra in containers, window boxes and hanging baskets. 

Members can click her to read more about growing Angelonia

'Dragon Wing' Begonias make a bold statement in the garden and look stunning with Dichondra with their green leaves and gorgeous red or pink flowers, and their beautifully arching, pendulous habit makes them perfect for hanging baskets and containers, as well as garden beds.

Members can click her to read more about growing Begonias

‘Silver Falls’ like other silver plants,  goes well with purple, pink or blue flowers, and for a really cool, sophisticated look, plant it with white, pale pink and pale lavender flowers.

Other suggested plant combinations include Persian Shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus) for its stunning quilted leaves with a purplish iridescence and silvery metallic sheen, and its bold green stripes along the veins of the leaves. In frost free regions the Persian shield is treated as a short-lived evergreen perennial and it will develop into a lovely small shrub. In cold winter regions it is often planted out as a summer annual and used to add tropical flair to garden beds and pots.  

Members can click her to read more about growing Persian Shield

If you can’t find Persian Shield, Coleus is a good substitute with its colourful foliage; and cascading Lobelia with its profusion of tiny flowers in shades of blue, lilac, purple, pink, carmine and white, with some varieties having bronzy foliage and others bright green leaves, is perfect too. And, if you want something a bit more permanent, Ivy Geraniums would look absolutely stunning, as would the colourful foliage of Alternanthera, which is available in gorgeous shades of rose, pink, red, yellow, bronze, green, purple, and cream.

Members can click on the highlighted text to read more about the plants mentioned above.

'Emerald Falls' Dichondra. Picture courtesy Ball Horticultural CompanyCultivation/Propagation:

This perennial is evergreen in warm climates, is easy to grow, and a very vigorous and widely spreading plant. When used as a groundcover, its creeping stems root wherever they come into contact with the ground. This enables the plant to spread quickly and form a lush, dense mat that not only looks great but blocks out weeds. It branches well without pinching and will thrive with little or no feeding. However to achieve lush coverage, and especially if you are growing in containers, you should feed with a liquid fertiliser monthly in spring and summer.

Dichondra is only hardy to moderate frost, and in very cold regions it is often grown as a summer annual. In moderately cold areas it can become semi to fully deciduous in winter, springing up again once the weather warms up.

Dichondra thrives in full sun but tolerates semi-shade, however, in too much shade it may become leggy and the silver will not be as brilliant. It grows well in sandy loam soils, with good drainage. Soil drainage is particularly important if plants are grown as a ground cover. It is heat and drought tolerant, and will recover quickly if wilted, but try to water moderately during dry spells to prevent wilting. Little to no pruning is needed except for removing faded leaves as necessary.

Propagation is by division of the runners or by seed. Seed is sown into seedling trays, in spring or early summer. Lightly cover the seed with a sprinkling of palm peat or perlite; but after sowing do not exclude light, as this helps germination. Seeds germinate best in soil temperatures between 21°C to 24°C. Keep the surface of the compost moist but not waterlogged until germination, which usually takes 5 to 10 days.

Problems Pests & Diseases:

Dichondra has no serious insect or disease problems.

Warning:

Dichondra poison severity is listed as low, but it can cause skin irritation if touched. Always supervise small children and pets in the garden and discourage them from chewing on plants.