Plant Library

Other Names:  Silver Ponyfoot, Kidney Weed

Description:

A creeping and trailing native plant with spectacular, silvery fan shaped foliage; easy to grow and great for containers, hanging baskets, spilling over walls, or as a groundcover

Ornamental Features

Silver Nickel Vine is primarily valued in the garden for its spreading and trailing habit of growth. Its attractive tiny tomentose fan-shaped leaves remain grayish green in color with hints of silver throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Silver Nickel Vine is an herbaceous perennial with a trailing habit of growth, eventually spilling over the edges of hanging baskets and containers. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and can be pruned at anytime. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Silver Nickel Vine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Silver Nickel Vine will grow to be only 3 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is native to parts of North America. It can be propagated by cuttings.

Silver Nickel Vine is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. Because of its trailing habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.