Great Groundcovers: Low-Maintenance Plants for Sun, Shade, and Drought

Groundcovers solve problems: they suppress weeds, prevent erosion, mulch living soil, and carpet the garden with texture and color. They range from creeping mats to knee-high spreaders. Here are our top picks for general use, shade, and dry conditions.

All-Star Groundcovers

Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)

Pink flowers spring–summer, fragrant, handles light foot traffic, drought-tolerant, semi-evergreen. Shear lightly in fall to rejuvenate. Attracts bees when blooming.

Sedum ‘Angelina’

Chartreuse needle-like foliage, yellow summer flowers (not bee-magnetic), spreads aggressively in sun or shade, moist or dry. Self-plants from broken stems. Bronze tips in winter. Works in beds, containers, between pavers. Indestructible.

Lamb’s Ear (Stachys byzantina)

Fuzzy silver leaves, 3-foot spread, pink spikes early summer (remove if bees are a concern). Sun/part shade, well-drained, drought-tolerant. Grown for foliage—one of the all-time greats.

Shade Groundcovers

Hosta

Not just specimens—planted densely, even tall varieties form a weed-smothering carpet. Mix cultivars for diversity.

Cranesbill / Perennial Geranium (Geranium spp.)

Pink/blue flowers, rebloom if sheared after first flush. Part to deep shade, rich soil, regular water, spreads 2–3 feet. ‘Sugar Plum’ is a standout.

Deadnettle / Lamium (Lamium maculatum)

Silver-splashed foliage brightens shade after spring flowers (white/pink/blue). Tolerates dry shade but spreads better with moisture.

Drought-Tolerant Groundcovers

Succulents: Sedums & Hens-and-Chicks (Sempervivum)

Near-zero maintenance, full sun (some creeping sedums take part shade), need sharp drainage. Colorful, textural, cold-hardy.

Ornamental Grasses

Mondo grass (shade-tolerant), black mondo (striking), Mexican feather grass (self-sows aggressively, very drought-proof), blue fescue (‘Elijah Blue’). Clumping, low, foliage-focused.

Snow-in-Summer (Cerastium tomentosum)

Silver leaves, white flowers early summer, spreads fast, tumbles over walls. Loves lean, well-drained soil; tolerates some shade but excels in hot, dry sites.

Match the plant to your conditions, and let groundcovers do the heavy lifting.