Horseherb as ground cover??? (San Antonio, Anton: HOA, condo, townhomes)

[10scoachrick]

This has been the worst year of the seven we've been in the condo and the common area "turf" has taken a real beating.
Someone has suggested that one of the "weeds" that has infiltrated our grounds is Horseherb and it's actually cultivated as a ground cover in some parts of the state.

Has anyone had experience with this as a replacement for grassy turf areas? Seems like it holds up to foot traffic; but is generally a fair bit taller than even St. Augustine at the recommended height.

I've got a feeling it will turn out to be "too good to be true" for filling in areas that don't see that much foot traffic but still "need" to be green instead of dirt. Even something like Turffalo would be prohibitive in cost for such a large area(74 townhomes and significant "green space").

Thanks for any help!!!

https://www.gardenstylesanantonio.co...ant/horseherb/

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

This has been the worst year of the seven we've been in the condo and the common area "turf" has taken a real beating.
Someone has suggested that one of the "weeds" that has infiltrated our grounds is Horseherb and it's actually cultivated as a ground cover in some parts of the state.

Has anyone had experience with this as a replacement for grassy turf areas? Seems like it holds up to foot traffic; but is generally a fair bit taller than even St. Augustine at the recommended height.

I've got a feeling it will turn out to be "too good to be true" for filling in areas that don't see that much foot traffic but still "need" to be green instead of dirt. Even something like Turffalo would be prohibitive in cost for such a large area(74 townhomes and significant "green space").

Thanks for any help!!!

https://www.gardenstylesanantonio.co...ant/horseherb/

I had this weed in my lawn and had the service get rid of it. It just didn't look good.

I'm not a lawn person, in fact my lot is 80% landscaped with various plants. My front yard has the lawn mostly removed. for ground cover I use plants like ajuga, katies ruellia, loriope, sweet potato vine, etc.

i'd create more beds and less grass. turf grass uses so much water.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by riaelise

I had this weed in my lawn and had the service get rid of it. It just didn't look good.

I'm not a lawn person, in fact my lot is 80% landscaped with various plants. My front yard has the lawn mostly removed. for ground cover I use plants like ajuga, katies ruellia, loriope, sweet potato vine, etc.

i'd create more beds and less grass. turf grass uses so much water.

Interesting...until I was told this is a "legit" ground cover, I always thought of it as a weed! Glad we didn't try to kill it all! In the areas where it covers a fair amount of ground, it really doesn't look "bad"...just doesn't look like grass. We've inadvertently expanded our mulched "planting areas" in front of each condo, so we have eliminated a fair amount of grass; but there's lots more!!! The place is 15 years old this year and many things need attention...this is just one but one that the HOA takes care of. Lousy time to have one of the hottest summers on record.


Thanks for your insight. Maybe I need to visit San Antonio to see widespread use of this "weed" .

[Trainwreck20]

The definition of a 'weed' is any plant growing where you don't want it. So any plant is a weed or not a weed, depending on the circumstances

"a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth"

[10scoachrick]

Just a bit of an update...our Mow, Blow and Go folks normally come on Wednesday; but the ground is still so wet, we may not see them until tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Horseherb has really kicked in!!! It's not particularly invasive; but it sure is lush in the places where it has taken root. As expected, the other weeds have gone crazy and the place needs a good trimming. It will be interesting to see how the 'Herb' looks with the rest of the ground cover mowed to normal height.

I'm not hating the stuff as it's growing maybe 50% in bare areas and green beats dirt I reckon.

I'm not sure why it's becoming more pervasive compared to years past; but it will either need to be ENcouraged or DIScouraged as it's covering maybe 15% of the "lawn" area already.

[10scoachrick]

Well, upon further review, the Horseherb has all but disappeared after the very dry fall and the first freeze. Can't imagine having this as the ONLY groundcover in a yard as it's pretty barren out there, even with the various other weeds a sparse grass we have in the condo complex.
I reckon in this case, "There's no free groundcover". Dang