The Lippia genus has more than 200 species of shrubs and one of them is the Lippia repens, a plant that has a carpeting nature, does not require great care and is very effective if what you want is to decorate some sector of your garden, even serving as a replacement for the lawn.
In addition to belonging to the group of the Lippias, made up of hundreds of species with different characteristics, Lippia repens It is a perennial and herbaceous shrub that has its origins in areas with a tropical climate, such as the tropical and subtropical areas of America, although it is mainly known in the development of this species in African lands.
Features
This species of Lippia It is of very common cultivation to upholster certain places, such as walls, slopes or growing it on the ground, generating a kind of tapestry that will serve as a replacement for the lawn, with greater growth power and not requiring major maintenance tasks.
There will be no problem if the ground where it is located is steadily stepped on. This will not affect their growth or proliferation., since one of its most common characteristics is aggressiveness that makes it an invasive plant.
One of the characteristics why this plant is very convenient to replace grass on the ground is that it does not achieve a great level of height, apart from the fact that it won't take long to grow either and finish covering the entire area in which it has been planted, generating a carpet of vegetation in a short time.
In the case of the Lippia repens, that are taller, you are they can reach a little less than a meter and it is used in most gardens with a specifically ornamental purpose, offering color and liveliness to the soils.
Its leaves
The leaves of the Lippia repens They have an intense green color during the spring and summer stages, when we will also see the largest number of flowers in them. These green leaves they will change color during the colder seasons, beginning to generate a gradient towards the reddish tones in the fall and culminating in an intense reddish in the winter, which will give it another ornamental characteristic different from the one we appreciate during the hot months.
The shape of its leaves is particularly oval and they are compacted, covering the entire surface in the summer months. That is why its upholstery characteristic is due.
The high proliferation of leaves and the invasive characteristics of this plant, covering absolutely all surfaces, makes it sturdy enough too so that they are in areas where they can be mistreated without this causing them any kind of inconvenience.
They may even be in soils through which vehicles pass without this signifying their deterioration and lack of growth. Conversely, it will continue to develop normally.
Cultivation of Lippia repens
If there an easy-to-grow herb and quick expansion without hassle, that is the Lippia repens. If you are going to get a specimen at a nursery, surely you will get trays in which there are different seedlings, through which you will get to cultivate and end up covering a couple of square meters of surface of your garden.
With a dozen or so seedlings installed on an area of between one or two square meters, in a short time you will see how it begins to develop, watering it well at the beginning and then regulating the watering intervals as you want, completely covering the area at the end like a lawn.
One of the characteristics for which this plant is used the most is because adapts to any type of soilYou can water it only a couple of times a month and subject it to temperatures down to -5 ° C without spoiling its development at all. Its low maintenance requirement makes it widely used to upholster places with imperfections, so do not hesitate to visit a nursery and get a copy of this fabulous plant.