Curated by real gardeners
Groundcover Plants
Living mulch: groundcovers suppress weeds, hold slopes, and knit plantings together. From steppable mats to flowering carpets, these are the ones that behave.
The 24 most-saved picks
#1 most savedLilyturf
Liriope muscari
#2 most savedElfin Creeping Thyme
Thymus serpyllum 'Elfin'
#3 most savedEmerald Blue Moss Phlox
Phlox subulata 'Emerald Blue'
Burgundy Glow Bugleweed
Ajuga reptans 'Burgundy Glow'
Creeping Phlox 'Blue Carpet'
Phlox subulata 'Blue Carpet'
Magic Carpet Thyme
Thymus serpyllum 'Magic Carpet'
Emerald Blue Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata 'Blue Emerald'
Emerald Blue Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata 'Emerald Cushion Blue'
Scarlet Flame Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata 'Scarlet Flame'
Red Wings Moss Phlox
Phlox subulata 'Red Wings'
Blue Zinger Sedge
Carex flacca 'Blue Zinger'
Dazzleberry Sedum
Sedum x rubrotinctum 'Dazzleberry'
Creeping Phlox Moss Phlox
Phlox subulata
Creeping Phlox Home Fires Phlox
Phlox stolonifera 'Home Fires'
Blueberry Muffin Bugleweed
Ajuga reptans 'Blueberry Muffin'
Creeping Phlox Eye Caramba
Phlox subulata 'Eye Caramba'
Groundcover Rose
Rosa x hybrida 'Ground Cover Rose Collection'
Spotted Dead Nettle
Lamium maculatum 'White Nancy'
Variegated Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata 'Nettletons Variation'
Irish Moss
Sagina subulata
Ajuga Black Scallop
Ajuga reptans 'Black Scallop'
Green Carpet Rupturewort
Herniaria glabra 'Green Carpet'
Beatlemania Sedge
Carex caryophyllea 'Beatlemania'
Snow-in-Summer
Cerastium tomentosum 'Silver Carpet'
Groundcovers questions
How fast do groundcovers spread?
The useful ones cover in 2–3 seasons. Faster spreaders exist but read the fine print — anything described as "vigorous" in a catalog can mean "invasive" in a garden.
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Find the right groundcovers plants for YOUR yard
Sow matches plants to your zone, sun, and style — then designs the bed and reminds you how to care for it.
