Best 10 Ground Cover Plants You Should Grow Instead of Grass

A fragrant perennial with purple blooms, requiring full sun and well-draining soil, ideal for zones 5-11.

Lavender

A sweet perennial with vanilla-like scent, growing slowly in dense mats, requiring full sun and well-draining soil, ideal for zones 3-8.

Dianthus

A low-maintenance succulent, drought-tolerant, perfect for rock gardens and hot sunny patches, requiring full sun and well-draining soil, ideal for zones 3-9.

Hens and Chicks

A charming perennial collecting dewdrops, with tiny chartreuse blooms, requiring full to part sun and well-draining soil, ideal for zones 4-7.

Lady's Mantle

A shade-loving fern with silvery fronds and maroon accents, requiring full shade and well-draining soil, ideal for zones 3-8.

Japanese Painted Fern

A dense mat-forming plant with edible flowers, requiring part to full sun and well-draining soil, ideal for zones 4-9.

Creeping Thyme

A low-growing vining plant with white, pink, or purple flowers, adaptable to most conditions, requiring part sun to full shade and moist soil, ideal for zones 4-9.

Periwinkle

A heat and drought-tolerant succulent with tiny blooms, requiring part to full sun and well-draining soil, ideal for zones 3-9.

Stonecrop

A perennial with attractive foliage and delicate flowers, adaptable to full sun or mostly shade, requiring well-draining soil, ideal for zones 4-8.

Cranesbill

A fern with beautiful striping, spreading quickly, requiring part sun to full shade and well-draining soil, ideal for zones 4-9.

Autumn Fern