Ground cover plants are low-growing plants that spread sideways to blanket the soil, and most stay under 24 inches (61 cm) tall. Think of a strip of bare dirt that washes out in every storm and sprouts weeds by the week. Plant the right cover and a low mat of foliage knits across that strip, holds the ground in place, and chokes out the weeds that used to take over.
The key trait is the way they grow. A shrub shoots straight up. These spreading plants do the opposite and run sideways instead. They send out creeping stems, rooting runners, or rosettes that fan wider each season and claim new ground. One small plant can fill a square yard over time. That habit is what turns a handful of starts into a solid carpet you never have to plant twice. It is also why ground cover plants earn their name, since covering ground is the whole point.
You lean on them because a thick cover works like living mulch. The dense foliage shades your soil so it stays cooler in summer heat. Shaded ground loses far less water to the sun, which means you water less often through a dry spell. The same canopy buffers soil temperature through the day and protects roots from the swings that stress a plant. It also crowds out weed seeds by stealing the light they need to sprout, so you spend less time pulling. Wood-chip mulch does all of this too, but it breaks down and needs topping up every year. A living cover does the same job and grows back on its own.
The range here is wide, and that is part of why they fit so many spots in your yard. On the short end you get ground-huggers like creeping thyme, which sits barely an inch off the soil and shrugs off light foot traffic. You can tuck it between stepping stones and walk right over it. Sedum stores water in fleshy leaves and thrives on hot, dry banks where little else holds. Other spreaders run taller and bushier, filling a slope at knee height rather than ankle height. Pick the height that suits the look you want.
- Hugs the soil at about 1 inch (2.5 cm) tall.
- Handles light foot traffic between pavers.
- Releases scent when you brush or step on it.
- Stores water in thick, fleshy leaves.
- Thrives on hot, dry banks and poor soil.
- Needs almost no extra watering once set.
They also split along a few lines worth knowing before you buy. Some are evergreen and hold their color through winter, so the spot still looks planted in January. Others are deciduous and die back to the ground in cold months, then return in spring. Some are woody, with stems that harden over time like a tiny shrub. Others are herbaceous and stay soft and green. None of these traits is better on its own. They just decide how your planting looks across the seasons and how it behaves in your climate.
Their real value shows up in the difficult spots, the places where a lawn struggles or refuses to take. A shady patch under a tree, a steep bank you cannot mow, a dry strip along the driveway. Grass fights you in all three, but the right cover settles in and stays. This is where ground cover plants pay for themselves, since they handle the spots that beat a lawn. Match the plant to the site, not the site to the plant. Read the spot first. Note how much sun it gets, whether the soil drains or stays soggy, and how cold your winters run. Then pick a cover built for those exact conditions, and it will hold that ground for years with very little help from you.
Read the full article: Best Ground Cover Plants for Any Garden
