6 Low-Maintenance Ground Cover Plants to Prevent Weeds

6 Best Ground Cover Plants to Prevent Weeds

Hardy ground covers can not only improve the appearance of your yard, but they can also significantly reduce the amount of time you spend weeding.

Need coverage for a dry area that gets full sun? Struggling to grow grass in dry shade? Or perhaps your landscape suffers from boggy patches marred by bald spots and scraggly weeds.

One of the perennial ground covers below could be the perfect solution to your problem. Each grows thickly, choking out weeds as it spreads. And each requires little care to thrive where few other plants will grow.

1. Golden Creeping Jenny

Golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) is a rugged ground cover hardy in zones 3–9. It thrives in wet areas. Although it grows in partial shade, for the best color, grow it in full sun. Its long, trailing stems have round chartreuse leaves and yellow flowers.

Creeping Jenny covers large areas quickly, putting out roots all along its stems and choking out weeds.

Use it to ring a pond, trail along a wall, or edge a walkway. It even makes a great spiller in mixed container gardens. Although creeping Jenny can be an aggressive grower, the cultivar "Aurea" is relatively well-behaved.

2. Mazus

Mazus reptans, commonly called mazus, is another low-maintenance perennial ground cover. Suitable for Zones 4-9, it performs best in part shade, but it will grow in full shade, too.

When the weather's hot, keep mazus moist. In mild climates, it remains green year-round and begins blooming in early spring. If conditions are right, it will bloom throughout summer, sometimes even into fall.

At just two inches tall, mazus is the perfect ground cover to plant between stepping stones and along walls. And it's easy to propagate; transplant small plugs from established plants in early spring or fall when they're not in bloom, or root cuttings during the summer and plant them in autumn.

3. Phlox Stolonifera

Tufted creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera) is a North American native that prefers partial sun or shade and moist soil. It has needle-like evergreen leaves that form a dense mat to effectively suppress weeds. In full-sun, dry areas, Phlox subulata forms a thick, pretty carpet that keeps weeds at bay.

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In early spring, it produces small white or pink flowers. The 'home fires' variety is a fragrant cultivar with hot pink blooms. When flowering, it can reach up to 12 inches high.

4. Phlox Subulata

For erosion control, few ground covers work better than creeping phlox (Phlox subulata).

It loves full sun, it's drought-tolerant, and it isn't picky about soil quality. Phlox subulata cultivars come in a variety of flower colors, including white, blue, red, and pink.

Like tufted creeping phlox, Phlox subulata has needle-like evergreen leaves.

5. Red Creeping Thyme

Red creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum coccineus) is a heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant ground cover that grows in zones 3 to 9. It likes full sun and grows close to the ground at only two to four inches tall. It's deer-resistant, too.

Plant it around stepping stones; it gives off a delightful scent when stepped on. Or plant it by walls, along borders, and in other areas that are difficult to weed.

Red creeping thyme adds attractive, deep green color to your landscape throughout spring, but it's most beautiful in summer when it erupts in gorgeous crimson flowers. It really, really chokes out the weeds, forming a thick mat.

We grew our thyme from seed, but you can also purchase organic plug trays for quicker results.

6. Dragon's Blood Sedum

Dragon's blood sedum may be the hardiest and most versatile of all weed-suppressing ground covers.

A cultivar of the succulent Sedum spurium, dragon's blood ('Schorbuser Blut') is hardy in Zones 3-8. Not only does it grow in full sun as well as partial shade, but it also thrives in poor soil.

Like creeping Jenny, dragon's blood sedum has trailing stems that root easily, so it's a snap to propagate. It does well in containers, rock gardens, and places where little else (besides weeds) will grow.

Dragon's blood sedum looks good year-round. In spring, it produces bright green leaves that turn maroon as temperatures drop. In summer, it has showy red flowers.

Less hardy Sedum spurium cultivars include ‘red carpet,' which has red leaves, and ‘voodoo,' which has mahogany-colored leaves. 'John Creech' is a smaller, slower-growing cultivar that produces pretty pink blossoms in fall. 'Tricolor' has green, pink, and white variegated leaves.

No matter which variety you grow, pollinators will be drawn to its broad flower heads.

FAQs

Can I replace my lawn with a low-maintenance ground cover?

Depending on your soil and situation, any of these ground covers could be used to replace a lawn. Any of these plants would require less maintenance than a lawn would, especially the ones that don't need a lot of water.

Which ground covers don't need mowing?

None of the plants mentioned above need mowing.

Which ground covers are low-growing and hug the ground?

The tallest mentioned here is Phlox stolonifera, which is 12" at its tallest.

Which weed suppressors are best for shade?

Mazus works best in the shade, but some cultivars of creeping phlox will also work.

Which are the best flowering weed suppressors?

Every type mentioned here is flowering, although mazus and phlox have the showiest blooms. Although the others flower, they don't produce stand-out blooms. Golden Creeping Jenny has yellow flowers, mazus and creeping phlox have lavender flowers, phlox stolonifera's are white or pink, phlox subulata are white, blue, red, or pink, and both creeping thyme and dragon's blood are red.

Which is the fastest-growing ground cover?

Creeping Jenny is a fast grower, and thyme will gain about half its size by the next year, but really how fast any plant spreads depends upon how well it likes the conditions. They are not invasives.

Which Hardiness Zone Do You Live In?

If you don't know your area's plant hardiness zone, search for zone maps in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, New Zealand, North America, South America, and the U.S.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: Will any of these ground covers compete/choke a ninety-year-old red oak tree? I have had a berm with mulch for many years, but buckthorn & weeds continuously overtake it. Landscapers always want to use PREEN and Roundup--I won't let them jeopardize the oak, but I was wondering if ground cover will take too many nutrients and water?

Answer: I completely agree with you about the Roundup, etc. I doubt any groundcover would harm your oak unless it is already on its last legs, but why don't you use landscaping fabric or heavy cardboard over the weeds and mulch underneath the oak to the drip line? The dripline is the area below the outer circumference of the tree branches. Water drips from it sort of like it does from an umbrella. The drip line area is also called the Critical Root Zone (CRZ) or Root Protection Zone (RPZ).

Question: I am in Zone 10 (Southern California). I have very sloppy, sunny hillside with many weeds. I love all your flowering ground cover mentioned above, but they are all in the Zone 4-9. Can you advise any drought tolerant flowering ground cover for my yard, please?

Answer: Some ice plants are hardy in Zones 9-11. Sometimes in arid climates, you’ll see them planted along highways. They have lovely flowers and are drought tolerant.

Question: Which low-maintenance groundcover can stand full sun AND be planted in a bed with perennials such as daylilies, iris, black-eyed Susan, and such?

Answer: Any of these will grow in full sun; however, creeping Jenny, mazus and Phlox Stolonifera prefer moist conditions. I think creeping thyme and/or creeping phlox would work well in the sort of mixed bed you're describing. They would require maintenance, but not more than day lilies, iris, and black-eyed Susan, which have to be cut back and divided. You may have to divide the ground cover, too, and if you don't like the little flower stems that stick up after blooming, you'd have to trim them off.

Question: Can I use ground cover plants as a mulch in my flower garden?

Answer: Gardeners do use ground covers like a mulch, to hold moisture and prevent erosion. I would be careful, however, to keep some space between plants and the ground cover to prevent rust, mildew, and other problems.

Question: Why did my creeping thyme seeds not germinate?

Answer: I don’t know. Many factors affect germination. Where do you live, when did you sow, what process did you use, and how did you care for the seeds after sowing?

Question: I am in zone 3b/4a (Lindstrom MN). I’m looking for fast spreading groundcover that will grow effectively around the edge of a pond and choke out all weeds up to waters edge. The area is approx 40’ x 15’. Full/Partial sun. I would like to just throw seed down and see what will come up. Needs to be deer/rabbit resistant. Do you have any recommendations?

Answer: Phlox borealis (Arctic Phlox) might be a good choice. It forms a dense carpet about four inches high, has dark green leaves, and is almost evergreen. You should look it up and see if it will work given your area's qualities: amount of sunlight the area receives, type of soil, how it lies, etc.

Question: We live in a dry area along the Snake River in southern Idaho. Our neighbor has a steep slope that is weeds. We have permission to treat it as our own to stop the ugly weed growth. It is steep, dry, gets a lot of sun midday. I was thinking Vinca or a hardy Phlox as we need fast growing. What do you think?

Answer: I would not recommend Vinca minor or Vinca major if the area is near a natural area as both are aggressive growers and invasive. They also develop wilt if they're not regularly thinned. Hardy phlox is both hardy and long-lived, and will give you a gorgeous show once it's established. Best of luck to you!

Question: Are these ground covers all okay to step on and soft enough for bare feet?

Answer: You can walk on the thyme, but you could cause plant damage if you step on the others. None of them have thorns, so they shouldn't hurt your bare feet.

Question: What do I do to keep a gardenia living and blooming?

Answer: Hi, I don't have any experience growing gardenias, so I'm including links to two articles you might find helpful: https://discover.hubpages.com/living/howtogrowgard... AND https://dengarden.com/gardening/Gardenia-Problems

Question: Can you mix different ground covers together?

Answer: Sure, you can mix ground covers together. Just be sure to select ground covers that have the same light, water, and soil requirements. Even so, you'll probably find that one of the ground covers you plant becomes dominate.

Question: Will low-maintenance ground covers choke out other flowers if planted in a flower bed?

Answer: Creeping Jenny might be a problem if it likes the area and you don't buy a cultivar that's slow growing. The others, however, not so much, especially thyme, which is slow growing. What service each of these plants does perform, however, is that where they do grow, they grow tightly, making it less likely you'll have to weed. In eight years I've only had to weed my thyme patch once to root out a single dandelion.

Question: What flowering zone is 28715?

Answer: Here's a link to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/. Looks like you're in Zone 7a.

Question: How do I find my planting hardiness zone?

Answer: Here's the web address for the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

Question: I live in Puerto Rico. I have a hillside that needs low growing, weed-suppressing plants that will grow by broadcasting seeds. It is very steep and mostly sunny. What plant will best suit my growing needs?

Answer: Thyme is a good choice, and there are lots of varieties to choose from. I use it in our landscape and rarely have to weed it because it forms such a thick mat of vegetation.

Question: Can I combine Jenny with Phlox to replace areas where grass will not grow well for a mix of plants?

Answer: That would be lovely. Just be sure to choose the type of phlox that prefers moist soil. Also, expect one of the plants to dominate, as one will probably love the light and soil conditions better than the other.

Question: Are any of these plants deer resistant?

Answer: Creeping phlox tolerates deer damage fairly well. The other plants could be considered deer resistant; however, that doesn't mean deer won't sometimes eat them or at least take a bite and then decide they don't want to graze those particular plants.

Question: Where can I purchase ground cover seeds?

Answer: Many outlets sell ground cover seeds. I'm not sure if Outside Pride, Seeds Needs, or Southern Exposure have the particular seeds you want, but I've had good experiences in purchasing from all three, particularly the last.

Question: I live in Glendale, CA. What is my climate zone?

Answer: It's 9a, 10a, or 10b, depending on your zip code. To find your exact zone, go to https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

Question: What zone is northern Mississippi?

Answer: It varies by county. To determine the zone you live in, follow this a link to a map provided by the Mississippi State University Extension: http://extension.msstate.edu/vegetable-gardening-m...

Question: What zone would Northern Mississippi be?

Answer: You're in 7a or 8b, depending on your location. Here's a link to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map for your state: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/#

Question: Can you tell me what ground cover begins with a p? Mine is growing in a flower garden. I have never seen it before.

Answer: Could it be phlox? If you really want to know, take a photo of it with your phone and send the picture to https://ask.extension.org/ask

© 2011 Jill Spencer

Comments

Suzette on July 19, 2020:

Hi, i have a flower bed that is constantly overgrown with weeds. I currently have hostas, lillies, and a few other plants, along wih a ground.cover that has a bloom that looks like blue bells. I want to be able to cover the weed area with some ground cover that won't harm my plants

Jill Spencer (author) from United States on June 06, 2020:

Sorry it's taken me so long to respond. I was wondering if you might be interested in using a ground cover like red or white clover? Both are good for the soil, reduce erosion, and have attractive blooms.

pauljs154@yahoo.com on June 05, 2020:

We have a hill behind our home that is mostly composed of weeds. Keeping the weeds down needs 3-4 cuttings each spring/summer. The angle is difficult for us as we are 65 years old. The area faces east Behind our home and is covered by tall trees about 20%. The rest is open. It is an area about 140 feet long and about 55 feet wide from the back of the house to the back property line. So a large Rectangle shape running north to south.

We desperately need to put down a covering this year as the work to cut down the overgrowth of weeds is to difficult for us. Can you recommend a nice looking and colorful covering that does not require much work to apply? Also are there any books or magazines with instructions to aid us?

Thanks,

Paul and Laurie

Debbie on May 22, 2020:

Are any of these ground covers safe for dogs and cats?

Jill Spencer (author) from United States on September 04, 2019:

Hi, Kathy. If you're trying to keep down weeds in a vegetable garden, you may want to try plastic sheeting or some other type of mulch. Growing other plants around your veg could attract insects, lead to mildew or rust, and use the soil nutrients your vegetables could be using. Just a thought. Best, Jill

Kathy on September 04, 2019:

Are there any ground covers that would work to keep weeds at bay but allow vegetables to grow in gardens?

Jill Spencer (author) from United States on June 29, 2019:

Hi, Zan!

Before you select any plants, make sure they are right for your growing zone.You might try creeping raspberry, Rubus rolfei, which is a ground cover that does well in areas where moisture fluctuates. It's good in Zones 6-9. Phlox subulata would also be a good choice (Zones 3-9). Other plants you might like to add, which aren't actually ground covers, but are good "rain garden" plants, are Amsonia Blue Ice; Asclepias incarnata, Rose (Swamp) Milkweed; Echinacea pallida, Pale Purple Coneflower. These would give you color from spring to fall but would require some maintenance (like deadheading). Again, just check first to make sure they're appropriate for your zone. Best of luck! Jill

Jill Spencer (author) from United States on June 29, 2019:

Hi, Zan!

Before you select any plants, make sure they are right for your growing zone.You might try creeping raspberry, Rubus rolfei, which is a ground cover that does well in areas where moisture fluctuates. It's good in Zones 6-9. Phlox subulata would also be a good choice (Zones 3-9). Other plants you might like to add, which aren't actually ground covers, but are good "rain garden" plants, are Amsonia Blue Ice; Asclepias incarnata, Rose (Swamp) Milkweed; Echinacea pallida, Pale Purple Coneflower. These would give you color from spring to fall but would require some maintenance (like deadheading). Again, just check first to make sure they're appropriate for your zone. Best of luck! Jill

Zan Wilson on June 29, 2019:

Very helpful article. We have a pond with steep slopes of varying quality soil. It is sometimes flooded by the pond but only for a few hours at a time, sometimes very wet but can be very dry in late summer. However, Johnson grass and weeds grow great! It is too steep to mow effectively. We want something that is nearly no maintenance (it is a large pong) and will keep out the weeds. Fast growth would be nice as long as it won't take over our mowed yard; however, we can be patient. We'd love beautiful flowers too.

What would you suggest?

Jill Spencer (author) from United States on April 08, 2019:

Hi Lille,

Have you considered putting down cardboard or plastic for a few weeks? That should kill the weeds, allowing you to take up a layer of roots and seeds. Then apply a barrier like cardboard or landscaping fabric and top with mulch. Good luck!

Peggy Seme on April 08, 2019:

I am in 6A, NJ and have several problem areas. One is extremely wet all year. The only time it was partially dry was when we had no rain for 2-3 weeks. The water pours out of the mountain and from what I can see on the Highlands Water Preservation it is the headwater to the stream.

So I would love something I can plant there that doesn't need mowing nor much maintenance as I sink to my ankles. SHADY

I also have a full sun area that I want a ground cover for that is non-invasive, low, perennial with some added color as it is in front of the house. I was thinking of some different ice plants not sure if they are invasive or not.

Lilla Ross on November 15, 2018:

I have a pollinator garden in Florida. I killed my St. Augustine grass several years ago and last year planted frog fruit. It's large variety. It looked nice at first but now weeds have taken over and the yard looks awful. If i keep it mowed, the frog fruit doesn't bloom and looks awful. If i don't mow, the frog fruit looks great but weeds take over. Not sure what to do. Thinking of trying to kill everything and start over.