Botanical name: Zoysia tenuifolia
Common name: No Mow Grass
Want a no mow lawn? Growing to only 10-15cm in height, Zoysia tenuifolia is perfect for use as a no mow lawn, or as a hardy, low growing ground cover between pavers and steps and around pools. This is the perfect ground cover you can walk on, soft on bare feet and tough!
Zoysia tenuifolia is a hardy grass substitute and is sometimes referred to as ‘no mow’ grass as it will handle moderate to heavy traffic.
Zoysia tenuifolia has very fine deep green leaves which develop a gentle, mounding characteristic that invites the observer to walk barefooted through the soft, dense thatch.
AKA: Velvet Grass, No mow grass, Petting grass (as people like to touch it)!
Main Features
- Full sun to part shade
- Hardy ground cover for a high traffic area
- Low maintenance lawn alternative for a no mow lawn
- Great for steep slopes as you do not have to mow it!
- Perfect for green roofs or roof top gardens as it is low maintenance
- Looks stunning between pavers softening the hardscape
- Provides sculptural interest in rockeries
- Use in garden beds as an alternative living mulch
An ornamental grass groundcover, Zoysia tenuifolia, is incredibly slow to establish making it ideal as an alternative, no mow lawn.
Growing in full sun to semi-shade, this has a very fine, attractive bright green leaf that develops a unique clumping appearance that is usually left unmown for a freeform natural look. Mow perhaps once a year if you want the “neat” lawn look.
There are several Zoysias but Zoysia tenuifolia has the finest textured leaf and is the only one considered to be classed as a no mow lawn.
Uses
- Provides a fantastic interesting architectural feature with its undulating appearance
- No mow lawn.
- Wonderful for difficult to mow slopes
- Use in rockeries as a striking groundcover
- Will grow in shadier areas where usual grasses struggle
- Great around the base of specimen trees in a courtyard
- Use it between pavers forming a low growing, green mat that softens the hardscape
- Perfect for green roofs or rooftop gardens
- The low gentle mounding effect suits Japanese style gardens.
- Low maintenance is great for commercial areas
- In pots or garden beds as an alternative living mulch.
Establishment
There are some reports of Zoysia tenuifolia not being good for traffic as it is so slow in growing. The issue is usually the poor quality of the media in which the plants are growing. When established in a good depth (100-200mm) of quality, friable media, the plants handle moderate traffic well, actually becoming lower and denser with pressure making it an ideal alternative lawn for average household use.
Due to the slow growth rate, growing Zoysia tenuifolia from pots or plugs can take a long time to achieve total coverage and you may have to undertake weeding between the plants.
This is where our Plant Tiles work wonderfully as we have done the hard work for you. No digging holes and waiting for pots to grow together. You can just place the Plant Tiles next to each other on your prepared media to achieve instant full coverage!
The Plant Tiles are only 22mm in depth so will require frequent small waterings until the roots penetrate the media on which they are placed. A fertiliser such as Seasol is useful to encourage root growth. Once established, water more deeply and less frequently.
Ideal for…
- Great attractive filler grass for between stepping stones in oriental gardens
- General groundcover/lawn
- Experiment to create your bespoke garden sculpture wrapped in Zoysia!
Discover the Plant Tiles instant alternatives for, No Mow Lawns and Ground Cover for High Traffic Areas. The possibilities are endless!
Plant Tiles Australia
Our unique Plant Tiles of Native hardy groundcover, Dichondra repens, also make a fantastic instant alternative no mow lawn. Children love to walk and roll on the little lily pad like leaves.