25 Best Ground Cover Plants to Help Protect Your Backyard
These plants will solve your landscaping problems!
Whether it’s a spot under trees where the grass won’t grow or a hillside that needs erosion control, ground cover plants are the solution! These landscaping problem solvers typically don’t mind poor soil or harsh conditions, and they’re an attractive way to fill in between stepping stones or along sidewalks and landscape beds. Ground cover plants are also great for fixing tricky bare spots in your yard! Many ground covers will bloom low-maintenance flowers, too, attracting pollinators such as butterflies and bees.
When choosing a ground cover, pay attention to how much sun the area receives. Full sun is considered six or more hours of direct sunlight per day; part sun is about half that. Shade means an area doesn’t get direct sunlight, or only some morning sun. It's also important to make sure it can survive winters in your USDA Hardiness zone (find yours here).
Now that it’s time to plant, take these care tips into consideration: The closer together you space individual plants, the faster an area will fill in. Planting about six to eight inches apart will help fill the area quickly, though it can take a few years to achieve a dense mat. But don't worry—it’s worth the wait! Also, you should keep the area weeded and water regularly in the first season, especially if it’s dry, to help the plants get established. Now that you know the basics, here are the best ground cover plants for your yard or garden!
Creeping Thyme
Creeping thyme hugs the ground and doesn’t mind hot, sunny areas with poor soil (in fact, it needs full sun). It forms a dense mat that spreads quickly. It also has pretty pink, white or purple flowers in late spring and early summer that pollinators love. Plus, it’s edible!
Periwinkle
This low-growing vining plant grows quickly, and it has white, pink or purple flowers in spring. It comes in both solid-colored and variegated foliage. It’s adaptable to most conditions and takes full sun to mostly shade.
Stonecrop
There are many different varieties of stonecrop but creeping types make a beautiful ground cover. This succulent is heat and drought tolerant once established, and most types also have tiny blooms in early summer.
Cranesbill
Cranesbill has attractive foliage with a minty-spicy scent that rabbits and deer don’t like. It also boasts pretty, delicate flowers in mid to late spring; some types bloom sporadically all growing season. It adapts to either full sun or mostly shade.
Autumn Fern
Autumn ferns have beautiful striping that light up shady areas of your garden. They spread quickly, and deer and rabbits tend to leave them alone. Just be sure to plant them in an area with full shade.
Bugleweed
Bugleweed forms a low-growing mat of green or burgundy foliage with pink or purple spikes of flowers in early summer. It's easy to grow since it adapts to most conditions including full sun to full shade.
Pachysandra
Pachysandra has glossy green foliage and tiny white flowers. It will spread nicely, even under mature trees. When planting, keep in mind that it needs part sun to shade.
Creeping Mazus
A mat of thick green foliage is topped by delicate orchid-like white or purple flowers in late spring. It’s a lovely ground cover, which also can handle some foot traffic.
Lily of the Valley
Lily of the valley has glossy green foliage with tiny white or pinkish flowers that dangle like bells from graceful stems. It is an extremely fast-grower, and it’s also aggressive, so plant it where it in a shady area where can be contained (or it will take over your garden), such as up against a sidewalk.
Blue Star Creeper
Tiny green leaves and soft blue blooms make this a pretty alternative to lawns. It handles foot traffic and is easy to care for in full to part sun. Plus, rabbits and deer will leave it alone.
Heuchera
Heuchera, also called coral bells, comes in every color of the rainbow from lime green to dark burgundy. The frilled foliage is attractive on its own, but it also sends up delicate spikes of dainty flowers, which hummingbirds love, in mid summer. Heuchera can take full shade to full sun, but its best color comes with some sun.
Sedge
Sedge is super-hardy with long, strappy leaves that make it attractive when massed in clumps. It needs part sun to full shade.
Siberian Cypress
This low-growing evergreen shrub is super cold-hardy, down to USDA Hardiness zone 2. It has a lush green color in spring and summer that darkens to an attractive bronze-y sheen in winter. It needs part to full sun.
Dwarf Mondo Grass
Clumps of grassy foliage that’s four to six inches tall makes this a fun, textural ground cover that requires almost zero care. It tolerates both sun and shade.
Creeping Juniper
This low-growing evergreen is another great choice if you want year-round color. It doesn’t mind poor soils and part to full sun, and many types have a handsome blue-ish color, too.
Creeping Jenny
This is a vigorous spreader that doesn’t mind foot traffic. It’s semi-evergreen, meaning it provides color in three seasons. It requires part to full sun.
Irish moss
The velvety-soft appearance of this moss is topped with teeny white flowers, giving it an almost magical appearance in late spring! It’s a great choice between stepping stones. It tolerates part sun to mostly shade.
Bunchberry
Also called groundcover dogwood, the glossy, heavily-veined leaves of this ground cover are topped with white flowers that resemble those on a dogwood tree. In the fall, you'll see red berries appear. This ground cover needs part sun.
Lamb's Ear
The soft, touchable silver foliage of lamb’s ear is so appealing! It also gets spikes of flowers that pollinators love in midsummer. It needs part to full sun.
Ice Plant
Ice plant, also called delosperma, is a low-growing succulent that comes in bright, saturated colors. It blooms from spring to fall and isn’t difficult to grow. It need full sun.
Arricca Elin SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more. She’s passionate about gardening, baking, reading, and spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
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