Ground cover
Ground Cover Plants: A Living Carpet That Beats Weeds
Cover the bare spots and beat the weeds. Low, spreading plants for sun and shade that mostly look after themselves.
Bare soil is an invitation to weeds, and some spots, a dry bank, the ground under a tree, the cracks between stepping stones, are a chore to plant and a chore to weed. Ground covers solve both problems at once: low, spreading plants that knit into a living carpet, crowd out weeds, and turn awkward bare patches into something green and finished.
The trick is simply matching the plant to the light. Below are the most reliable carpets for sun and for shade. For more, browse low-maintenance plants and plants for shade.
Ground cover for sun
For open, sunny ground and dry banks, these spread into dense, often flowering mats that ask for very little.
Phlox subulata
A solid sheet of color cascading over banks and walls for several weeks each spring.
Thymus
A low, fragrant, walkable mat that releases scent underfoot and flowers for the bees.
Geranium 'Rozanne'
Violet-blue flowers from early summer to frost, knitting together into weed-proof cover.
Rosa 'Meijocos'
A low, spreading rose that blankets the ground in flowers from spring to fall with little care.
Aubrieta
A cushion smothered in purple or white in spring, perfect tumbling over a sunny wall.
Lobularia maritima
A quick, honey-scented carpet of tiny flowers that fills gaps and softens path edges all season.
Ground cover for shade
The dry, shady ground under trees defeats most plants, but these spread happily there and stay green when little else will.
Ajuga reptans
Glossy, often bronze-purple rosettes that form a dense mat and send up blue flower spikes in spring.
Lamium maculatum
Silver-splashed leaves that brighten dark corners, with pink or white flowers through summer.
Vinca minor
An evergreen carpet of trailing stems studded with starry blue flowers, tough even in dry shade.
Pachysandra terminalis
Neat, glossy evergreen rosettes that make a uniform, no-fuss carpet under trees.
Galium odoratum
Whorls of bright green leaves and starry white spring flowers, with a fresh, hay-like scent.
Epimedium
Barrenwort, with delicate spring flowers and handsome leaves, one of the toughest plants for dry shade.
Ground cover is living mulch
A good ground cover does the work of mulch and then some. It smothers weeds, holds soil on a slope, keeps roots cool and moist, and turns the bare, awkward spots into something green and finished, with almost no mowing or weeding once it knits together.
What is the best ground cover for shade?
Periwinkle, pachysandra, ajuga, sweet woodruff, and epimedium all thrive in shade and form weed-suppressing carpets, even in the dry shade under trees.
What is the best ground cover for sun?
Creeping phlox, creeping thyme, hardy geraniums, and groundcover roses all cover sunny ground with flowers and crowd out weeds.
Do ground covers stop weeds?
Yes, that is one of their main jobs. A dense ground cover shades the soil and crowds out weed seedlings, acting as a living mulch once it knits together.
Design a garden with these plants
Open BloomsEye Studio with this guide's plants ready to drop onto a plan, then watch the whole bed bloom across the year.