groundcover
Silver carpet
Dymondia margaretae
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Hardy in zones 9–11, Silver carpet is a slow-growing evergreen groundcover. Expect 1–3 in of height and 1–1.5 ft of spread; our lists space it 1 ft apart. It does best in full sun to part sun with little water once established. Expect yellow flowers in June to August. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the edge role: a low plant that finishes the front edge. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf and the Pacific Northwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Dymondia margaretae
- Plant type
- Groundcover, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 9 to 11
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Well-drained soil; takes foot traffic between pavers.
- Mature size
- 1–3 in tall × 1–1.5 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug · yellow
- Roles in a bed
- Edge
- Styles
- low water, modern
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. No ASPCA entry found for Dymondia; marked toxic until a reviewer confirms.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 4-inch pot, typically $4–$8 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week for the first 6-8 weeks, then every 10-14 days in dry spells through the first summer; after that only in long droughts.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; state extension service fact sheets; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings; state extension service; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States; state noxious weed lists; Cal-IPC inventory; US garden-centre and home-improvement retail listings (general knowledge, 2026 estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Silver carpet, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Mexican bush sageSalvia leucanthaperennial · zones 8–11
- Pink muhly grassMuhlenbergia capillarisornamental grass · zones 6–11
- Autumn sageSalvia greggiishrub · zones 7–11
- FirebushHamelia patensshrub · zones 9–11
- Lily of the NileAgapanthus africanusperennial · zones 9–10
- Indian hawthornRhaphiolepis indicashrub · zones 8–11
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Silver carpet: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants