I
have been doing some research on drought resistant ground covers
suitable for growing here in Northern California. I have started
changing my grass lawn to drought resistant ground covers. Last week I
have installed Hypericum calycinum( creeping St John Worth) on my side
yard, but have not done anything thing in my front yard. I am looking
into kurapia for my front yard. However, from what I heard it will be
twice as expensive as the Hypericum ground cover. Do you have or know of
someone with a kurapia lawn? I would like to know if the cost will be
justified with its value and savings from lawn watering and moving.
The following is some information about this drought resistant ground cover originally from Japan.
Kurapia [Phyla (Lippia) nodiflora (L.)E.
Greene] is a low growing, herbaceous, perennial dicot groundcover
belonging to the Verbanaceae or Verbena family. Although the species is
either native or naturalized to California, Kurapia is a sterile,
non-invasive, cultivar from Japan, which is propagated vegetatively by
plugs or creeping stems (stolons) only. Kurapia’s dense canopy and deep
root system provide excellent drought tolerance and soil stabilization
even on steep slopes.It is also tolerant to a wide range of soil
conditions including salinity, but generally prefers sandy, well-drained
soils. Kurapia reaches a maximum height of 3 to 6 inches and produces
numerous small, white flowers from spring to late summer. As a result,
mowing is not required. However, regular mowing with a rotary or reel
mower as low as 2 inches can be used to minimize flowering. Kurapia can
tolerate partial shade and light traffic when maintained either
non-mowed or mowed similar to a lawn; however, it is not recommended for
use under intensive, concentrated traffic.
Kurapia
is adapted to climate zones of 7b and higher. In regions where average
daily temperatures remain above 45 °F, Kurapia will stay evergreen;
however, growth will gradually decrease and enter dormancy when average
daily temperatures fall to around 38 °F and Kurapia has been known to
survive temperatures as low as 13 °F. These temperatures are provided as
estimates, as Kurapia greenness, dormancy, and survival will depend
upon specific location and environmental factors. ( www.kurapia.com)
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