When it comes to landscaping, ground cover plants play a crucial role in adding beauty, texture, and functionality to outdoor spaces. Whether you’re creating a rock garden, lining pathways, or seeking alternatives to traditional lawns, selecting the right ground cover plants can transform your landscape. Here are ten versatile options to consider, along with their ideal planting conditions and whether they are safe for dogs.
Our 10 Best Ground Cover Plants:
1. Creeping Thyme:
- Ideal for: Rock gardens, pathways
- Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil
- Dog-safe: Yes
- Trim after flowering to maintain shape
- Potential Con: Can be invasive in some climates.
2. Roman Chamomile:
- Ideal for: Pathways, lawn alternatives
- Conditions: Full sun to partial shade, well-drained soil
- Dog-safe: Yes
- Benefits from occasional pruning to control growth.
- Potential Con: Prone to reseeding and spreading aggressively.
3. Lamb’s Ear:
- Ideal for: Rock gardens, borders
- Conditions: Full sun to partial shade, well-drained soil
- Dog-safe: No (can cause stomach upset if ingested)
- Potential Con: Avoid overwatering to prevent root rot.
4. Sweet Alyssum:
- Ideal for: Rock gardens, borders
- Conditions: Full sun to partial shade, well-drained soil
- Dog-safe: No (can cause stomach upset if ingested)
- deadhead spent flowers to promote continuous blooming.
- Has the sweetest fragrance
- Potential Con: May attract aphids and other pests.
5. Verbena:
- Ideal for: Rock gardens, borders
- Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil
- Dog-safe: No (toxic if ingested)
- Regular deadheading to encourage new blooms.
- Potential Con: slightly more maintenance due to requiring regular deadheading to maintain appearance.
6. White Dutch Clover:
- Ideal for: Lawn alternatives
- Conditions: Full sun to partial shade, well-drained soil
- Dog-safe: Yes
- Benefits from occasional mowing to control height.
- Potential Con: Can become weedy if not properly contained.
7. Evening Primrose:
- Ideal for: Rock gardens, borders
- Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil
- Dog-safe: Yes
- Deadhead spent flowers to prevent self-seeding.
- Potential Con: Can self-seed prolifically and become invasive
8. Purslane:
- Ideal for: Pathways, borders
- Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil
- Dog-safe: No (can cause stomach upset if ingested)
- Minimal watering once established.
- Potential Con: Considered a weed in some regions.
9. Ice Plant:
- Ideal for: Rock gardens, slopes
- Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil
- Dog-safe: Yes
- Water sparingly once established, especially in humid climates.
- Succulent shrub, can be invasive so proceed with caution
- Potential Con: May become invasive in favorable conditions.
10. Dianthus:
- Ideal for: Borders, rock gardens
- Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil
- Dog-safe: No (mildly toxic if ingested)
- Deadheading to promote continuous blooming throughout the season.
- Potential Con: Short-lived perennial in some climates
Ground cover plants are invaluable additions to any garden or landscape, offering a multitude of benefits in a compact package. These low-growing plants help prevent soil erosion, suppress weeds, retain moisture, and improve soil health by contributing organic matter. They also support biodiversity by providing habitat and food for beneficial insects and wildlife. With their diverse foliage colors and textures, ground cover plants add visual interest and beauty to outdoor spaces, while requiring minimal maintenance. By incorporating ground cover plants into your garden design, you can create a resilient, sustainable landscape that thrives for years to come.
What to consider:
When selecting ground cover plants for your landscape, consider the specific conditions of your garden and the needs of your pets( if you have any). With the right selection of ground cover plants, you can create a beautiful and functional outdoor space that enhances the beauty of your home while providing a safe and worry-free environment for your pets to enjoy. It is important to remember that all of these have the potential to become invasive and take over if left completely unattended. But with little maintenance and the occasional deadheading or shaping these Top 10 Best Ground Cover Plants will have you loving your walkway or garden bed area that much more!
Happy Gardening! x
Sources:
- The Spruce: https://www.thespruce.com/
- Gardening Know How: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/
- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA): https://www.aspca.org/
