Carolina Ponyfoot

Year-round

Carolina ponysfoot is native to Tennessee and makes a low, easy-care groundcover for a Memphis yard. It hugs the ground with tiny round leaves and asks for very little once it gets going.

• Dichondra carolinensis (Carolina ponysfoot) is native to Tennessee, so it is a solid low groundcover choice for a Memphis yard.
• It stays low, under about 2 inches tall, and spreads by rooting at the nodes as it creeps along the ground.
• It handles a wide light range, from full sun to a good amount of shade.
• Once it is established, water it deeply and let the top inch of soil dry out before watering again.
• It tolerates mowing, so it works as a small lawn substitute or a filler between stepping stones.

Fall

Fall gives Memphis gardeners a second good window to plant Carolina ponysfoot, while bloom winds down as nights cool.

• Blooming slows through September and stops around the first fall frost, which averages late October in the Memphis area.
• Cooler fall weather with steady rain makes this a good second planting window, roots get to settle in before winter.
• Cut back mowing frequency as growth slows down.
• Clear fallen leaves off the patch so the low foliage still gets light.

A cleared, cut-back patch going into fall reads as an intentional bed rather than a neglected corner, which helps it avoid a violation letter.

Winter

Winter foliage can thin or brown after a hard freeze in Memphis, but the roots are frost tolerant and the patch fills back in come spring.

• Established patches are frost tolerant, though the leaves can brown back after a hard freeze.
• Skip fertilizer and cut back on watering during winter dormancy.
• Stay off the patch when the leaves are frozen or icy, they bruise easily in that state.
• Do not mow in winter since the plant is not actively growing.

Keeping winter-thinned leaf litter cleared off the patch keeps it reading as a tidy, intentional bed rather than a bare or weedy spot, which helps it avoid a violation letter.

Spring

Spring is when Carolina ponysfoot wakes up in Memphis, putting out new growth and its first small white flowers.

• New growth picks up once nights stay reliably above freezing, typically by early April around Memphis.
• Small white flowers start opening in spring and keep going into summer.
• Spring is a good time to plant new patches or divide and move an existing one.
• Check the edges of the patch, spring growth spreads fastest and can creep past where you want it.

Summer

Summer is Carolina ponysfoot's most active stretch in Memphis, with steady bloom and fast spreading in the heat.

• Bloom continues through the summer months in Memphis.
• It is drought tolerant once established, but a deep soak during long dry stretches in July and August keeps it looking full.
• If you are using it as a lawn substitute, mow it every couple of weeks to about an inch and a half.
• Trim runners that cross into a walkway or a neighbor's yard to keep the patch inside its own lines.

Regular mowing and a trimmed edge keep a dichondra patch reading as an intentional groundcover bed instead of an overgrown spot, which helps it avoid a violation letter.