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Dichondra

Dichondra argentea (dy-KON-druh ar-JEN-tee-uh)

Family: Convolvulaceae Unknown Groundcover (<1 ft)

'Silver Falls' is a popular cultivar of Dichondra argentea , commonly called Silver Nickle Vine. It is a creeping, trailing herbaceous perennial. The plant's maximum height of 4 inches and rapid spread of rooting stems to 3 to 4 feet wide make it a great bedding plant or ground cover and its silvery metallic-like foliage contrasts well with other green-leaved plants. This plant can grow in sandy loam soil and is best suited for containers, hanging baskets, rock walls, as a ground cover, window boxes, or an accent plant in beds. From a hanging basket, it will cascade down 3 to 6 feet in one season. The genus name comes from the Greek words di meaning two and chondros meaning lump in reference to the fruit having two capsules. The species name means silvered. 'Silver Falls' is a winter hardy evergreen; however, it is sometimes grown as an ornamental annual. The plant prefers dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils, and full sun. But it does tolerate some light shade, heat. and drought. It will also do well in sandy loams with good drainage. It is best grown in baskets or containers or as a seasonal ground cover. Soil drainage is particularly important if plants are grown as a ground cover. Insect Pests, Diseases, and Other Problems: No significant problems

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 53 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Sedum Sedum 'Birthday Party' Tradescantia pallida

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Annual; Ground Cover; Herbaceous Perennial
Life cycle
Annual; Perennial
USDA zones
10a, 10b, 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b
Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 2 in. - 0 ft. 4 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Creeping; Spreading
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Deciduous; Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Gray/Silver
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Other/more complex
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Soft
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
This plant has colorful silvery (nearly metallic looking) but soft foliage (about 1 inch). Its shape is somewhere between fan-shaped and round.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green; White
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Insignificant (very small) flowers bloom in late spring (May to June) in colors of white and yellow (more of a greenish-yellow).
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Two capsuled fruit
Stem color
Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Stems are silver and branching.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule

Uses (ethnobotany)

groundcover

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Hanging Baskets; Rock Wall
Landscape theme
Rock Garden
Design feature
Accent; Mass Planting
Garden tags
#contrast #gray leaves #silver leaves #colorful leaves #heat tolerant #herbaceous perennial #dappled sunlight #low maintenance #drought tolerant #full sun tolerant #window boxes #ornamentals #groundcover #partial shade tolerant #bedding plants #container plant #low growing #garden walls #evergreen groundcover #evergreen #accent
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Drought; Heat
Particularly resistant to
Very drought tolerant; heat; some light shade (dappled sunlight)
Poison severity
Low
Poison symptoms
Can cause skin irritation if touched.
Toxic principle
unidentified
Contact dermatitis
Yes
Toxicity summary
Low severity poison; contact dermatitis

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.