Have you ever battled with relentless weeds taking over your garden? The frustration of seeing your carefully cultivated plants overshadowed by unwanted growth can be disheartening.
Weeds not only mar your garden’s beauty but also compete for essential nutrients, water, and sunlight, stunting the growth of your cherished plants.
Your solution is groundcover plants. They are not only enhance your garden’s beauty but also sure to create a dense mat, effectively choking out weeds.Â
Creeping Thyme
Creeping thyme grows low and has dense leaves that form a mat, which helps suppress weeds.
Its tiny purple flowers not only add a splash of color but also attract pollinators like bees. When you walk on it, the thyme releases a lovely scent that fills the air.
Creeping thyme is evergreen in mild winters and blooms from early to mid-summer. It can handle light foot traffic and is easy to control because it doesn’t spread through underground runners.
Pachysandra
Pachysandra spreads, but not too aggressively, making it easy to manage. If it does spread to areas where you don’t want it, you can simply pull it up.
This plant is also tough. You can walk right into the bed to pull out any unwanted plants like virginia creeper without damaging it.
It’s also deer-resistant, which means deer usually leave it alone unless they are very hungry. Even then, it doesn’t harm the plant.
Vinca Minor
Vinca minor forms a dense mat of shiny, ivy-like leaves that can choke out weeds effectively. In the spring, it produces charming periwinkle-colored flowers that bring beauty to any garden.
This plant is quite adaptable. It grows to about six inches tall and thrives in shady spots, though it can also handle dry, sunny conditions.
However, be cautious, as it can become invasive if not kept in check. It’s best to plant it in areas where you can easily control its spread.
Creeping Jenny
Creeping Jenny is a hardy perennial that forms spreading mats of long stems for weed-suppressing ground cover.
Its green, oval-shaped leaves create a beautiful backdrop for the five-petaled yellow flowers that bloom in the summer, giving your garden a forest-like feel.
This plant thrives in most lighting conditions as long as the soil is moist. It’s perfect for the edges of garden borders, where it can add a burst of color and even creep onto pathways.
Sedum
Known for its succulent foliage and vibrant flowers, Sedum thrives in various conditions, including poor soil and drought.
Its dense, spreading habit effectively chokes out weeds, ensuring a neat and tidy garden bed.
Additionally, its resilience and minimal care requirements make sedum an ideal solution for both novice and experienced gardeners.
Sweet Woodruff
Sweet woodruff is deer resistant and can quickly fill in an area. It spreads by its roots, creating a dense mat that prevents light from reaching the ground,.
While sweet woodruff is excellent for shady, moist areas, it does not perform well in dry conditions.
Additionally, it can get crushed if stepped on, so it’s best to plant it in areas where foot traffic is minimal.
Bugleweed
Bugleweed thrive in shady areas makes it perfect for filling in those spots where other plants might struggle.
This herbaceous perennial also produces a beautiful blue-toned flower spikes. It will form a relatively dense mat rather quickly, helping to choke out weeds and offer late-fall interest with its semi-evergreen foliage.
Bugleweed does spread rather aggressively via runners, though, so it may need to be managed effectively to avoid it becoming a nuisance.
Dead Nettle
Dead nettle stands out beautifully against other plants. Despite its name, dead nettle is not related to stinging nettles and is safe to handle without gloves.
The lovely white flowers create a peaceful and graceful atmosphere, making it a delightful addition to any shade garden.
This groundcover is especially useful in shady spots. However, it may die back a bit during the hottest part of the summer.
Japanese Spurge
Japanese spurge is perfect for zones 5-9 and grows to a height of 1 to 8 inches (2.5-20 cm), so it forms a dense mat, which helps to suppress weed growth effectively.
Japanese spurge is low-maintenance and can be a great addition to your garden if you’re looking for a plant that requires minimal care.
The plant’s evergreen nature ensures that your garden remains lush and green throughout the year.
Snow-in-Summer
Snow-in-summer features small, white flowers that bloom in late spring to early summer, creating a beautiful carpet of white. The foliage is gray-green, adding a lovely contrast to the flowers.
You should space the plants about 1 foot apart to avoid overcrowding. It’s best to divide these weeds to keep them neat and prevent them from taking over your garden.
Additionally, this plant is drought-tolerant once established, making it a low-maintenance option for your garden.
Mondo Grass
Mondo grass is known for its vigorous growth habit and ability to spread easily. It thrives in USDA hardiness zones 6-10 and prefers full shade to part shade for optimal growth.
Mondo grass is also known as monkey grass due to its growth pattern. It can be used as an edging plant or border plant and fits well into various garden areas.
Additionally, it can handle foot traffic, making it a versatile choice for pathways and stepping stones.
Wild Ginger
Wild ginger t features evergreen leaves that provide year-round interest and can grow to a height of 1 to 8 inches.
In addition, its dense foliage forms a thick mat that prevents weeds from getting the sunlight they need to grow.
Liriope
Liriope is not only evergreen but also cold hardy, making it suitable for various climates.
With many varieties, you can choose variegated liriope, which showcases beautiful green leaves with white edges, or the royal purple liriope, known for its striking dark purple flowers.
These plants form clumps that may need dividing in spring, and their tall blades of foliage effectively keep weeds at bay.
Houttuynia
Houttuynia’s dense growth habit forms a thick mat that crowds out unwanted plants. However, be cautious when planting houttuynia, as it can become quite invasive.
In fact, even if you wanted to use herbicides like glyphosate to stop it, it might not be effective, especially if the plant is growing under trees or other plants.
Despite its aggressive nature, houttuynia offers beautiful foliage as the leaves are often variegated with shades of green, red, and yellow.
Bearberry
Bearberry can spread out to cover large areas through its underground stems or rhizomes. It’s also a great choice for those looking to hide bare soil and curb weeds.
Bearberry is not only effective at weed suppression but also adds a touch of greenery to your garden all year round.
It’s a low-maintenance plant that doesn’t require much care once established. However, you need to note that bearberry is not intended for walking on, as it can be easily damaged.
Corsican Mint
Corsican mint forms a dense mat of tiny, bright green leaves that spread quickly, making it an excellent choice for filling in gaps between pavers or in garden beds.
Specially, when you walk on it or brush against it, the plant releases a refreshing scent. This makes it a great option for pathways or areas where you might frequently pass by.
Besides, their flowers are not only pretty but also attract pollinators adding even more life to your garden.
Goldmoss Stonecrop
Goldmoss stonecrop forms a colorful, moss-like mat with its small succulent leaves. When summer arrives, you’ll see a sea of yellow flowers that add a vibrant touch to your garden.
This plant spreads quickly and can cover a large area, making it a great choice for ground cover. However, be careful not to step on it too much, as it can get a crushed look. But don’t worry, it will bounce back after some time.
Goldmoss stonecrop is also known for its gold-leaved appearance, which turns bronze when the weather gets cold.
Lamb’s Ear
Lamb’s ear owns leaves forming a thick carpet, making it hard for weeds to grow.
In addition, this plant produces gray stalks of lavender flowers in the spring.
Blue Star Creeper
Blue star creeper is a fantastic ground cover that thrives in shady spots and under trees.
It forms a dense mat of tiny, star-shaped blue flowers that bloom in late spring to early summer, creating a beautiful carpet-like appearance.
Also, this mat can cover the ground and suppress weeds effectively.
Creeping Phlox
Forming a dense mat of evergreen foliage, creeping phlox effectively suppresses weeds and thrives in sunny locations.
Its beautiful, star-shaped flowers in shades of pink, purple, white, and blue create a colorful carpet, adding visual appeal to any garden.
This low-maintenance plant is also drought-tolerant once established and requires minimal care.
