Bare soil rarely stays bare for long. If you leave an open patch in a flower bed, along a walkway, under trees, or on a slope, weeds often move in before the plants you actually want have a chance to spread.
Groundcover plants can help solve that problem by creating a dense layer of foliage over the soil. Once established, a healthy groundcover shades the ground, occupies growing space, and makes conditions less favorable for many new weed seedlings. It will not create a completely weed-proof garden, and established perennial weeds can still push through, but a well-chosen groundcover can significantly reduce how much open soil you need to weed or mulch.
The key is not simply choosing the fastest-spreading plant. A groundcover that thrives in full sun may struggle under a tree, while a shade-loving plant can become thin and stressed in a hot, exposed bed. Moisture, drainage, climate, soil conditions, and how much foot traffic the area receives all matter.
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Here are 11 groundcovers worth considering and where each one tends to make the most sense.
1. Creeping Jenny
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) is a low, trailing perennial with rounded leaves and stems that can root where they touch the ground. It grows especially vigorously in moist, fertile conditions and can form large colonies over time.
That vigorous growth makes it useful for filling spaces where you want a quick carpet of foliage. It can work around stepping stones, near the edges of beds, or in areas that receive consistent moisture.
That same spreading habit also deserves caution. Creeping Jenny can travel farther than expected, and its behavior varies by region and growing conditions. Before planting it, check whether it is considered invasive or problematic where you live.
It is better suited to a place where you can control its boundaries than to a garden where delicate neighboring plants could easily be overwhelmed.
2. Creeping Phlox
Creeping phlox is one of the more decorative options for covering sunny ground.
Its low-growing foliage forms spreading mats, and the plant is especially valued for the mass of flowers it can produce in spring. It works particularly well along rock gardens, the fronts of borders, slopes, and other places where a low perennial can spread without blocking taller plants.
Creeping phlox generally performs best where the soil drains well. It is not the groundcover to choose for an area that remains soggy for long periods.
The biggest advantage is that you get both coverage and seasonal color. After flowering finishes, the foliage continues doing the practical job of covering soil.
3. Bugleweed
Bugleweed, commonly called ajuga, is useful when you want a low plant capable of forming a thick mat.
It spreads by creeping growth and can gradually fill spaces between larger landscape plants. Depending on the variety, the foliage may be green, bronze, purple, or variegated, and flower spikes add color above the leaves.
Ajuga can tolerate some shade, making it useful in areas where sun-loving groundcovers become thin.
Its enthusiasm can also be a drawback. In favorable conditions, it can spread outside the area where you originally planted it. Give it clear boundaries and keep an eye on runners that move into neighboring beds.
A vigorous groundcover is only helpful if you actually want it growing where it spreads.
4. Stonecrop
For dry, sunny areas, low-growing stonecrops are difficult to overlook.
Many plants commonly called stonecrop belong to the Sedum group and have fleshy leaves adapted to relatively dry conditions. Groundcover stonecrops are commonly used in sunny, well-drained locations, including rocky or shallow soils where more moisture-demanding plants may struggle. Penn State Extension includes groundcover stonecrops among useful evergreen or semi-evergreen perennial choices.
Stonecrop is especially useful around rocks, dry borders, sunny slopes, and other places where drainage is good.
Poor drainage is usually a bigger concern than insufficient watering. A plant selected for dry conditions will not necessarily thrive in a low spot where water sits after every rain.
5. Sweet Woodruff
Not every bare patch receives enough sunlight for creeping thyme, sedum, or other sun-loving plants.
Sweet woodruff is better suited to shady garden conditions. Its fine-textured foliage can create a soft green carpet beneath trees, shrubs, and other areas protected from strong afternoon sun.
It can be an attractive alternative to repeatedly trying to establish turfgrass in a difficult shady corner.
As with many spreading perennials, however, the location needs to be chosen carefully. Sweet woodruff can expand beyond its original planting area when conditions suit it.
Use it where a spreading colony is desirable rather than squeezing it into a tiny space surrounded by plants you do not want it to invade.
6. Hostas
Hostas do not spread across the ground in quite the same way as creeping thyme or ajuga, but mature plants can still be effective at covering shaded soil.
Their broad leaves create substantial shade underneath the plant once the clumps become established. In a woodland-style bed or shady border, several hostas planted at appropriate spacing can eventually create a layered canopy that leaves much less exposed soil.
Hostas come in a wide range of mature sizes, so check the expected width of a specific variety before planting.
A common mistake is placing young hostas too close together because they look small at first. Give them enough room to reach their mature size instead of creating an overcrowded bed that later requires transplanting.
They are a particularly useful choice when you want bold foliage rather than a very low carpet.
7. Creeping Thyme
Creeping thyme is an attractive option for sunny, well-drained spaces where you want something extremely low.
It is often planted around stepping stones, along path edges, and in rock gardens. Once established, it can create a fragrant mat of small leaves and may tolerate occasional light foot traffic.
That does not mean it should replace turf on a heavily used play area or main walkway. Repeated trampling can damage it.
It is better suited to places where people step occasionally rather than walk constantly.
Good drainage is also essential. Creeping thyme generally performs better in relatively lean, dry conditions than in soil that remains wet.
8. Creeping Juniper
Slopes and dry banks can be frustrating places to landscape. Mowing may be awkward, mulch can move downhill, and exposed soil gives weeds plenty of opportunities to establish.
Low-growing creeping junipers can be useful in these locations.
Unlike soft herbaceous groundcovers, junipers are woody evergreen plants. Their spreading branches gradually cover a broad area and provide year-round structure.
They generally make the most sense in sunny locations with reasonably good drainage.
The tradeoff is patience. A young juniper may not cover a large bank immediately, so weed control is still necessary during establishment. Space plants according to their mature spread rather than planting them extremely close together for instant coverage.
9. Wild or Groundcover Strawberries
Strawberries can also function as living groundcover.
Plants spread through runners, allowing daughter plants to establish around the originals. The University of Minnesota Extension notes that strawberries can be grown as groundcover, although plants used this way may not produce as much fruit as strawberries maintained in more conventional rows. It also notes that regular weeding is especially important during the first year while the planting fills in.
That makes strawberries interesting for gardeners who want a plant that is both ornamental and potentially edible.
Choose an appropriate strawberry species or variety for your climate and site. Do not assume that any wild strawberry found locally should be moved into your garden.
Also expect birds, insects, and other wildlife to show interest in the fruit.
10. Clover
Clover creates a completely different look from traditional ornamental groundcovers.
Rather than forming a tidy evergreen mat around shrubs, it gives an area a softer, meadow-like appearance. Depending on the species and how it is managed, clover can fill open ground relatively quickly.
Some gardeners appreciate the informal appearance, while others prefer sharper borders and more conventional landscape plants.
That makes clover less about whether it is objectively “good” or “bad” and more about whether it fits the way you want the space to look and function.
Species selection matters too. Different clovers have different growth habits and regional suitability, so choose intentionally rather than scattering an unidentified seed mix.
11. Dichondra
Dichondra is valued for its small, rounded leaves and soft carpet-like appearance.
In suitable climates it can be used as a low groundcover, particularly where a smooth, flowing look is more important than showy flowers.
It can work nicely between ornamental plants or across small areas where its dense foliage complements a softer landscape design.
Climate is important with dichondra. A plant that behaves as a useful groundcover in one region may not survive winter or perform reliably in another.
Before using it across a large section of the yard, find out whether the species or cultivar you are considering is well suited to your local temperatures, sun exposure, and irrigation conditions.
Why Groundcovers Help With Weeds
Groundcovers do not possess a magical ability to eliminate weeds.
Their main advantage is competition.
Weed seeds are much more likely to take advantage of open soil where they have access to light, moisture, and room to grow. A healthy groundcover occupies some of that space and creates shade at soil level.
The denser the planting becomes, the fewer convenient openings there are for new seedlings.
This is also why a struggling groundcover performs poorly as weed control. If plants remain thin because they receive the wrong amount of sunlight or moisture, weeds simply establish in the gaps.
Good weed suppression starts with healthy plants.
Clear Existing Weeds Before Planting
One of the biggest mistakes is installing a groundcover directly into a patch already dominated by aggressive perennial weeds.
Groundcover plants are much better at reducing future weed seedlings than magically eliminating established weeds with large root systems or underground runners.
Remove as much existing weed growth as practical before planting.
Pay particular attention to perennial weeds that can regenerate from roots, rhizomes, or other underground structures. Simply cutting off the visible tops may not be enough.
Once the site is reasonably clean, install the groundcover at appropriate spacing.
Use Mulch While the Plants Fill In
Even a vigorous groundcover needs time to spread.
During that establishment period, the bare soil between young plants can still grow weeds.
A modest layer of suitable mulch can help protect those spaces until the plants expand. Avoid burying the crowns or stems of the groundcover under deep mulch.
You will still need to pull occasional weeds during the first season. In fact, this early maintenance is one of the best investments you can make. Removing weeds before they produce seeds or become entangled with your groundcover makes the bed much easier to manage later.
Strawberries grown as groundcover, for example, still require regular weeding while establishing before maintenance becomes easier.
Match the Plant to the Site First
The best groundcover is not necessarily the one that spreads fastest.
Start by examining the location.
How many hours of direct sun does it receive? Does the soil stay damp after rain, or dry quickly? Is the site flat or sloped? Will people walk through it? Do you need year-round greenery, flowers, edible fruit, or simply reliable soil coverage?
For a hot, dry bank, creeping juniper or an appropriate stonecrop may make much more sense than a moisture-loving plant.
For a shady bed, hostas or another shade-tolerant groundcover can outperform a sun-loving species that never becomes dense.
Moist soil may suit creeping Jenny particularly well; Missouri Botanical Garden describes it as performing well in moist, humus-rich soil and notes that it can spread into large colonies under favorable conditions.
Matching the plant to the location is what eventually creates the thick growth that makes groundcovers useful.
Be Careful With Aggressive Spreaders
There is an important contradiction at the heart of groundcover gardening: the qualities that make a plant good at covering weeds can also make it difficult to control.
A fast-spreading plant does not know where your flower bed ends.
Before planting creeping Jenny, ajuga, sweet woodruff, clover, or any other vigorous spreader, check its behavior in your region. Some plants can escape cultivation and become invasive in particular climates.
Native groundcovers are also worth investigating. A locally appropriate native plant may provide the coverage you want while fitting more naturally into the surrounding ecosystem.
Avoid choosing solely from a generic national list. Regional climate and ecology matter.
Give Groundcovers Time to Do Their Job
A newly planted groundcover bed will not become weed-free overnight.
Expect to weed around the young plants while they establish, maintain reasonable moisture according to the species, and fill exposed soil with mulch where appropriate.
Over time, the goal is for the plants themselves to occupy more and more of the available ground.
Creeping phlox can bring spring color to sunny beds. Stonecrop can cover dry, difficult patches. Sweet woodruff and hostas are better suited to many shady situations. Creeping thyme works beautifully around lightly traveled paths, while creeping juniper can make sense on sunny slopes. Strawberries offer the additional possibility of fruit, and dichondra can create a soft carpet where the climate suits it.
The most effective choice is rarely the trendiest plant on a groundcover list. It is the one suited to the exact patch of soil you are trying to cover.
Start with the site, choose the plant second, control existing weeds before planting, and keep the area maintained while the groundcover fills in. Once a healthy planting becomes dense, you may find yourself spending far less time staring at the same bare patch—and pulling the same weeds—season after season.
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