12 Most Resilient Ground Covers For Your Yard

Ground covers aren’t used very often and are sometimes misunderstood. However, they’re incredibly useful and beautiful to have around. Ground covers not only help protect the soil and slow down erosion, but they also can add color and even nice smells. Here are some of the best ground covers to have around!

Ground Covers

Creeping Phlox

Creeping phlox provides a delightful blanket of flowers in the spring and then green the rest of the year. They love full sun and come in a variety of colors that are perfect for any garden.

Thyme

Thyme is one of those ground covers that does all three things: protects, looks good, and smells good! Luckily, Thyme comes in numerous different shades, so choose one you like and that matches your house and go with it! Make sure you check out this plant guide on Thyme!

Sedum

The best thing about sedum is that it is drought tolerant and that it’s fairly adaptable to the environment it’s planted in. Sedum also comes in numerous colors, so that shouldn’t be an issue at all.

Hens-and-Chicks

If you’re trying to get a ground cover in a tight place then consider planting hens-and-chicks. This ground cover is great for small areas like between rocks and doesn’t require much maintenance. It’s also a very traditional ground cover and adds a fun texture to your yard!

Sweet Woodruff

If you’re a fan of ground covers that add fragrance to your yard, then try this one. When stepped on or crushed, sweet woodruff gives off a fresh mown hay smell that most of us love. This ground cover also flourishes in dense shade so it’s great for under decks or similar places.

Bishop’s Weed

The most famous aspect of bishop’s weed is how fast it grows. Unless it’s in a contained space, this ground cover will spread rapidly. It can be planted in large or small spaces and adds a nice calming color to your yard.

Brass Button

Brass button will give your yard a wonderful color, so if that’s a must then this is a great ground cover. It can also endure high amounts of traffic, which is always a plus. Brass button also has a wonderful texture to it.

Ajuga

Besides its magnificent colors, ajuga is also a low maintenance plant, so you don’t have to do much to keep it alive. It also spreads easily, which is good if you like color but not so much if you want to keep it under control.

Lamium

While lamium looks great, it’s not the best at dealing with high amounts of traffic, so make sure it’s somewhere with less foot traffic. Put lamium next to other plants with darker foliage so this ground cover can bring out those colors.

Mondo Grass

This ground cover can get pretty divisive: some people love it while others aren’t too fond. If you’re one who likes it, then know that it’s great to border yards and paths. Just make sure to give it full or part sun and to keep the soil moist in order for it to stay healthy.

Golden Moneywort

This is also known as creeping Jenny. This ground cover has a great color and is awesome for under shrubs and as a border plant. Keep it in the shade and remember that it spreads fast, so plan accordingly.

Lamb’s Ear

Don’t you just love the name of this ground cover? Obviously, as you can tell from its name, lamb’s ear is soft to the touch, which makes it even better. It’s also got a great color, so there’s not much of a downside to this ground cover.

Epimedium

Epimedium grows in many colors, so you won’t have a problem finding on you like. It’s best in dry shade, which makes it a very unique and valuable ground cover to utilize in your yard.