Falkia repens

The Falkia repens, also known as the African Morning Glory, is a vigorous perennial ground cover that is very useful for filling in spaces between other plants, covering the base of bushes, or replacing lawns in lightly trafficked areas. It forms a low-growing carpet that discourages weeds and is adorned with pretty flowers resembling bindweed, from spring to summer. Equally at home in sun or shade, this plant looks proud as it weaves between rocks in a rockery or cascades from a flowering pot. It is not difficult to grow in any well-drained soil, from moist to dry.

Falkia repens belongs to the convolvulaceae family, just like ipomoeas, bindweeds, and morning glories. This species is endemic to the Eastern and Western Cape in South Africa, a region with a Mediterranean-type climate characterized by wet winters and dry summers. It is often found in wet or temporarily flooded soils during the season. It is a perennial plant with thin, rooting stems, meaning they can root at the nodes. Its growth is rapid and its lifespan is long. The vegetation forms a 5 cm (2in) tall carpet that spreads laterally without a theoretical limit. The leaves persist during mild winters but become deciduous in case of severe frost. They are oval, small (0.6 to 2.5 cm (0 to 1in) long), slightly succulent, cup-shaped, rounded at the apex, erect, resembling little ears. They are a glossy yellowish-green to dark green color. Flowering occurs from May to August, although it is shorter and less abundant during very dry summers. The funnel-shaped flowers are white with a hint of pink and 1.5 cm (1in) wide. They are produced abundantly just above the foliage. The stem can withstand temperatures as low as -10 to -12°C in well-drained soil. Falkia repens is pollinated by moths and bees.

Plant Falkia repens in a small space where you would have imagined a lawn that the rugged or hard-to-reach terrain does not allow. This plant tolerates light foot traffic, does not require mowing, and generally does not need watering in summer. In this use, it can be associated with other equally vigorous ground-cover perennials such as Achillea crithmifolia, Lippia, Zoysia tenuifolia, or Dichondra repens. It can also be planted on top of walls or in the gaps between stones in a rockery, as well as along the edge of a staircase, accompanied by Erigeron karvinskianus, thymes, or dwarf artemisias, for example. It also pairs well on a slope with perennials and shrubs that thrive in dry conditions (lavenders, cistuses, rosemarys, brooms, Cerastostigma, valerian), emerging from its carpet while protecting them from invasive plants.