Ice Plant

[boondog]

I'm looking for a ground cover to plant in the circles around my palms. Mainly to keep the weeds from growing around them. Will the Ice Plant cause any problems for the Palms? If so, is there another type of ground cover that will stay short and spread?

[Dave-Vero]

If you are living in California within reach of salt spray, Mesembryanthemum leaves accumulate salt, which tends to accumulate when the leaves die.  It's an effective way of killing off the neighbors by giving them too much salt.  

In what I take to be soggy Houston, this shouldn't be a problem.  But does anyone grow the things in Houston?  

You might check Aggie horticulture or the Lady Bird wildflower center to see about natives and other good options.  I just put out a bunch of smallish goldenrods around newly planted Satake palms in my Florida yard.  

Lily turf is fairly affordable and effective at smothering weeds.  I'm trying to think of other perennials or small, thick shrubs.  If it's a bit shady, cast iron plants (Aspidistra).  For temporary use this summer, perhaps try zinnias.  They seem to love hot weather.  Or Gomphrena (I can't remember the common name of this annual)--it thrives in heat, too, at least in Florida sorta-sandy soil.  Not nearly as popular as it should be.