My lawn is environmentally friendly, it was installed as bahia sod when the St. Augustine grass died off. The bahia came with various field "weeds" and I pull out the ones I don't want. One that is a welcome resident is frog fruit which has performed even better than the bahia. It is beloved of bees and butterflies too. Frog fruit is the small green runner with small white flowers. Easy to trim up the edges where it creeps.

This is the back yard which is full south facing sunny all day and no irrigation.
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This is the same location just on the other side with original bahia. You can see bare spots and frog fruit just starting to get a hold bottom right, which I would like to happen.

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I have used an edger in places to carve up pieces of sod with frog fruit and transplanted in bare spots around the yard. Labor intensive but the only way.I have tried seeding with bahia seed to fill in bare spots but haven't seen anything appear. There are butterfly vendors that sell frog fruit plants but in small sizes.

I am happy with my bahia and frog fruit lawn, put in 2 years ago. The other plus is that it has not required mowing in 7 months, no kidding. That was over the winter and very little rain. Going into the summer I expect it will need mowing maybe once a month.

Denise

Hi Denise and Truscifi:

That is a neat solution. I remember these plants from when I lived in Miami. Very nice. There was a site that sells the seeds.

Julie

Here is a link that might be useful: Frog fruit seeds

Heck in Citrus County you could find frog fruit growing just about anywhere. I'd go on a digging expedition on country roads. Just don't import any ants.
You will see frogfruit growing everywhere once you start looking down.

(P.S. Julie that's a great link for FF seeds)

Denise

This is a neat plant!!

Does it grow tall? can you walk on it? do you mow it, how often? fertilize it ?

Thanks!

Will it grow in heavy shade? I have several bare patches under large oak trees where St. Augustine has refused to grow.

Is that the same as matchweed?

Does it grow tall? can you walk on it? do you mow it, how often? fertilize it ?
Mine varies in height from 3" to 6", lower in walked-on areas and higher when not walked on.
Yes I walk on it all the time. The last mowing was 7 months ago in my yard but it was mowed in the past, comes back.
No, I don't fertilize the lawn.

Will it grow in heavy shade?
I have very little shade in the yard and it still grows but not as fast.

Is that the same as matchweed?
I don't know what matchweed is.

Phyla nodiflora is more commonly called Matchweed.
This just proves that a weed is simply a plant in the wrong place and not a "bad plant".
Some people consider this an annoying weed while others view it as a butterfly friendly ground cover.
I'm sure your neighbors would be thrilled if you offered to "weed" their lawns so you could harvest all the Matchweed you wanted!

Thanks gatormomx2!
Never heard or saw the term 'frogfruit' before & I've lived here almost all my life - pic looks like what I know as matchweed or capeweed - apparently phyla nodiflora has a number of common names. We used to love to pick & play w/ those funny flowers as kids.

& yes! Seems like a lot of former 'weeds' are being discovered to be great alternatives to high maintenance turf grasses.

I have Sunshine mimosa gradually taking over my backyard - another nice groundcover, if you don't mind bees.