10 Best Ground Cover Plants For Your Garden
These are the best ground cover plants for your garden. They will help you add beauty and texture as well as control soil erosion, weed suppression, and moisture retention.
Best Ground Cover Plants
A lush, vibrant garden is every gardener’s dream. While tall flowers and shrubs capture attention, the foundation of a picturesque landscape often lies in the often-overlooked ground cover plants.
In this post, I’ll explore ten of the best ground cover plants that can transform your garden into a verdant paradise.
Creeping Thyme
Description and Characteristics: Creeping thyme is also known as mother-of-thyme. It is a low-growing perennial herb renowned for its dense, mat-like foliage and delicate pink or purple flowers.
It forms a fragrant carpet that releases a pleasant aroma when crushed underfoot.
Growing Conditions: Creeping thyme thrives in well-draining soil and full sun exposure. It’s drought-tolerant once established and requires minimal maintenance.
Uses in the Garden: This versatile ground cover is perfect for rock gardens, borders, and stepping stones. Its aromatic foliage also attracts pollinators, making it a favorite among beekeepers and wildlife enthusiasts.
Creeping Jenny
Description and Characteristics: Creeping Jenny, with its trailing stems and bright yellow-green leaves, adds a pop of color and texture to any garden setting.
It produces small, yellow flowers in the summer, further enhancing its appeal.
Growing Conditions: This vigorous grower thrives in moist, well-drained soil and partial shade to full sun.
It’s adaptable to various soil types and spreads rapidly, making it an excellent choice for ground cover in challenging areas.
Landscape Applications: Creeping Jenny excels as a trailing accent in containers, hanging baskets, and along the edges of ponds or streams.
Its cascading habit softens hardscapes and adds visual interest to vertical surfaces.
Blue Star Creeper
Description and Characteristics: Blue Star Creeper is a charming perennial with tiny, star-shaped blue flowers that blanket its carpet-like foliage in spring and summer. Its delicate appearance belies its hardiness and resilience.
Growing Conditions: This low-maintenance ground cover thrives in moist, well-drained soil and partial to full sun. It forms a dense mat that suppresses weeds and withstands light foot traffic.
Versatility in Landscaping: Blue star creeper is an excellent choice for filling in gaps between pavers, lining pathways, or cascading over retaining walls.
Its ability to tolerate light foot traffic makes it suitable for areas where occasional stepping is necessary.
Corsican Mint
Description and Characteristics: Corsican mint, also known as rock mint, is a petite herb prized for its aromatic foliage and diminutive stature. It releases a refreshing scent reminiscent of peppermint when crushed.
Growing Conditions: This delicate ground cover thrives in moist, well-drained soil and partial shade. It prefers cooler temperatures and benefits from mulching to retain soil moisture.
Fragrant and Aesthetic Appeal: Corsican mint is an excellent choice for edging pathways, rock gardens, or containers.
You can grow it near outdoor seating areas where its fragrance can be enjoyed. Its diminutive size and creeping habit create a lush carpet that adds a touch of luxury to any garden space.
Woolly Thyme
Description and Characteristics: Woolly thyme, aptly named for its fuzzy, silver-gray foliage, is a hardy perennial herb that forms a dense mat, perfect for suppressing weeds and erosion.
Growing Conditions: This drought-tolerant ground cover thrives in well-drained soil and full sun. It’s exceptionally low maintenance and requires little water once established.
Drought Tolerance and Erosion Control: Woolly thyme’s dense growth habit makes it an excellent choice for slopes, rock gardens, or areas prone to erosion.
Its drought tolerance and ability to withstand harsh conditions make it a reliable performer in challenging environments.
Mazus
Description and Characteristics: Mazus is a low-growing perennial with glossy green foliage and delicate purple, pink, or white flowers that bloom in spring. Its creeping stems form a dense, weed-smothering mat.
Growing Conditions: This moisture-loving ground cover thrives in consistently moist, well-drained soil and partial shade.
It benefits from regular watering during dry spells but can tolerate brief periods of drought once established.
Ideal for Moist Areas and Walkways: Mazus is an excellent choice for boggy or poorly drained areas where other plants struggle to thrive.
Its vigorous growth and ability to tolerate light foot traffic make it an ideal candidate for planting along walkways or between stepping stones.
Bugleweed
Description and Characteristics: Bugleweed is a fast-spreading perennial prized for its colorful foliage and spikes of blue, pink, or white flowers in spring. Its trailing stems root as they spread, forming a dense ground cover.
Growing Conditions: This adaptable plant thrives in moist, well-drained soil and partial to full shade. It’s relatively low maintenance and requires little attention once established.
Colorful Foliage and Groundcover Benefits: Bugleweed’s variegated foliage adds visual interest to shaded areas, while its dense growth habit suppresses weeds and prevents soil erosion.
It’s an excellent choice for woodland gardens, under trees, or along slopes where other plants struggle to thrive.
Vinca Minor
Description and Characteristics: Vinca minor, also known as periwinkle or myrtle, is a hardy evergreen perennial with glossy, dark green leaves and violet-blue flowers that bloom in spring.
Growing Conditions: This adaptable ground cover thrives in well-drained soil and partial to full shade. Once established, it’s drought-tolerant and requires minimal maintenance.
Low Maintenance and Rapid Spread: Vinca minor’s vigorous growth and ability to thrive in challenging conditions make it a popular choice for ground cover in shady areas where other plants struggle to establish.
Its rapid spread helps fill in large spaces quickly, providing year-round interest.
Irish Moss
Description and Characteristics: Irish moss is a charming, moss-like ground cover with emerald green foliage and tiny white flowers that bloom in late spring or early summer. Its soft, velvety texture adds a touch of elegance to any garden setting.
Growing Conditions: This moisture-loving plant thrives in well-drained soil and partial shade. It benefits from regular watering to maintain soil moisture, especially during dry spells.
Delicate Texture and Shade Tolerance: Irish moss is an excellent choice for planting between pavers, in rock gardens, or along the edges of ponds or streams, where its delicate texture and shade tolerance can be appreciated.
Its evergreen foliage provides year-round interest, making it a valuable addition to any garden.
Sweet Woodruff
Description and Characteristics: Sweet woodruff is a low-growing perennial with whorls of fragrant, lance-shaped leaves and clusters of tiny white flowers that bloom in spring.
Its sweet, hay-like scent intensifies when dried, making it popular for sachets and potpourri.
Growing Conditions: This shade-loving ground cover thrives in moist, well-drained soil and partial to full shade. It spreads slowly by rhizomes, forming a lush carpet over time.
Medicinal Uses and Aromatic Qualities: Sweet woodruff has a long history of medicinal use, particularly in herbal remedies for insomnia and anxiety.
Its fragrant foliage adds a sensory element to shaded gardens and woodland settings, where it thrives alongside ferns and other shade-loving plants.
Final Thoughts
Ground cover plants are the best choice when creating a lush, low-maintenance garden that’s as beautiful as it is functional.
Whether you’re seeking to suppress weeds, prevent soil erosion, or simply add visual interest to your landscape, these ten ground cover plants offer a range of options to suit your needs and preferences.
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