Check out these awesome Flowering Ground Cover Plants that you can grow in your garden with ease to add a dash of colors!
Bring a new lease of life to your gardens by growing these Flowering Ground Cover Plants! They not only look great but are also easy to maintain!
Here’s how you can plant a mint bed for ground cover
Best Flowering Ground Cover Plants
1. Bigroot Geranium
Botanical Name: Geranium macrorrhizum
It is best for gardeners who want to grow low-maintenance plants. It flowers in pink, red, or pale pink hues with interesting variegated foliage.
2. Spotted Dead Nettle
Botanical Name: Lamium maculatum
The plant is famous for its variegated foliage and dense clusters of flowers, which appear in various colors, including white, pink, and purple.
3. Moss Rose
Botanical Name: Portulaca
This pretty little plant with needle-like foliage and tiny colorful flowers looks absolutely stunning. The blooms come in yellow, pink, red, white, orange, and many more colors.
4. Rock Rose
Botanical Name: Helianthemum nummularium
The showy flowers of this genus come in shades of orange, pink, yellow, scarlet, and white. There are some varieties available that bloom for a long time, from spring to fall.
5. Lilyturf
Botanical Name: Liriope muscari
This showy and tough ground cover has deep green, grass-like foliage. Spikes of violet or lavender color flowers appear from late summer until the fall.
6. Sweet Woodruff
Botanical Name: Galium odoratum
Sweet woodruff is an excellent ground cover if you want to add fragrance to your garden. Grows best in part shade to full shade and on well-draining soil.
7. Creeping Thyme
Botanical Name: Thymus serpyllum
Thymus serpyllum is a low-growing aromatic flowering herb and edible too! This tiny plant barely grows up to 3 inches tall. It is deer resistant and an amazing alternative to grasses.
8. Brass Button
Botanical Name: Cotula coronopifolia
If you’re searching for a lawn substitute, then consider growing the brass button. It also forms yellow-golden flowers that appear from spring to summer.
9. Creeping Phlox
Botanical Name: Phlox stolonifera
This ground cover has pleasant flowers that appear in pastel hues. It can also be used as a bordering plant around the flowerbeds.
10. Sedum
Botanical Name: Sedum
The genus ‘Sedum’ has a diverse group of ornamental succulent plants. You can grow low-growing sedums as a ground cover in full sun and well-drained soil.
11. Dalmatian Bellflower
Botanical Name: Campanula portenschlagiana
It is a beautiful annual or perennial plant that forms a mat of small rounded leaves. The flowers are star-shaped and blue-purple in the color that blooms from spring through summer.
12. Lily of the Valley
Botanical Name: Convallaria majalis
Lily of the Valley is one of the easiest and best flowering ground covers. Its fragrant little bell-shaped white flowers grow well in the shade and have a long blooming period.
13. Dwarf Periwinkle
Botanical Name: Vinca minor
One of the most popular groundcovers, it blooms prolifically, is easy to grow, and tolerates poor soil and drought.
14. Goodness Grows
Botanical Name: Veronica x ‘Goodness Grows’
This low-growing beautiful perennial blooms from summer to fall. Good for country style or cottage style garden and also suitable for containers.
15. Firecracker
Botanical Name: Russelia equisetiformis
Nectar-feeding species of birds and butterflies love this drought-tolerant plant. It is suitable for slopes, borders, retaining walls, and containers.
16. Lamb’s Ear
Botanical Name: Stachys byzantina
One of the best flowering ground cover plants on our list due to its thick attractive silver-grey-green foliage that forms gentle and velvety rosettes and purple flowers!
17. Society Garlic
Botanical Name: Tulbaghia violacea
With its edible garlic-flavored purple flowers and grass-like, blue-grey foliage, this tough and low-maintenance ground cover is a good option for everyone!
18. Bugleweed
Botanical Name: Ajuga
It is an excellent ground cover, having attractive foliage that forms a dense carpet-like mat and deep blue flower spikes.
19. Candytuft
Botanical Name: Iberis sempervirens
The plant can grow up to 12 inches tall and produces a sweet-smelling cluster of white blooms above green leaves. It flowers from April through May.
20. Japanese Pachysandra
Botanical Name: Pachysandra terminalis
It is an evergreen perennial that’s perfect for areas where grass doesn’t grow under shrubs. Pachysandra features shiny green whorled foliage; in April months, spiky white blooms become the focal point.
21. Canadian Anemone
Botanical Name: Anemone canadensis
It grows up to 1-2 feet and produces white blooms over bright green leaves with toothed edges. The plant appreciates moist soil and full sun to partial shade.
22. Siebold’s Plantain Lily
Botanical Name: Hosta sieboldiana
This plant has a diverse leaf color that varies from lime to variegated green and white. It blooms with tall spikes of small white or purple flowers emerging from May to July.
23. Horned Violet
Botanical Name: Viola cornuta
This annual has green, rounded leaves and fragrant two-toned blooms in purple and blue color that flower from April to June.
24. Wishbone Flower
Botanical Name: Torenia fournieri
Also known as the clown flower, it produces trumpet-shaped pink, purple, yellow, and white blooms above light green oval-shaped leaves. This ground cover grows best in partial to full shade.
25. Lithodora
Botanical Name: Lithodora diffusa
Lithodora blooms in May and occasionally through August with tiny, bright blue flowers and small, hairy green leaves connected without stems.
26. Pig Squeak
Botanical Name: Bergenia cordifolia
This perennial got its name from the squeaky sound the leaves create when you rub them between your fingers. It is a clumping plant featuring glossy, dark green leaves and stalks of pink blooms from April and May.
27. Ice Plant
Botanical Name: Delosperma cooperi
It got its name from how sun rays hit the foliage, which makes it look like a jewel in ice crystals. It flowers in purple, pink, white, and yellow blooms.
28. Yellow Alyssum
Botanical Name: Aurinia saxatilis
Also known as basket-of-gold, this perennial grows up to 8-12 inches tall and displays clusters of small yellow blossoms offset over blue-gray foliage.
29. Cotoneaster
Botanical Name: Cotoneaster horizontalis
This tall ground cover has a horizontal growing habit, give it plenty of water and afternoon shade until it is fully grown. It is mainly grown for beautiful berries that succeed the blossoms over green leaves.
30. Yellow Archangel
Botanical Name: Lamium galeobdolon
This low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plant has variegated leaves and produces yellow flowers. It flourishes in partial shade and likes loamy, well-draining soil.
31. Perennial Verbena
Botanical Name: Verbena bonariensis
This beautiful purple ground cover is very easy to look after a plant, as it is both heat and drought tolerant once established. Looks great with other light-colored ground covers!
32. Creeping Lantana
Botanical Name: Lantana montevidensis
This is quite an eye-catching specimen with vivid colored flowers. It is extremely drought and heat tolerant, making it perfect for forgetful gardeners.
33. Goutweed
Botanical Name: Aegopodium Podagraria ‘Variegatum’
This variegated ground cover has a dense growth pattern and thrives in difficult growing conditions. As the plant is quite invasive, you may have to trim it often.
34. Sea Thrift
Botanical Name: Armeria maritima
This small, lovely, clump-forming plant has grass-like foliage and rounded flower heads in bright white or pink color. The flowering time is early summer, and it does well in full sun to partial shade.
35. Rockcress
Botanical Name: Arabis Caucasica
It is an ideal choice for areas that receive full sun to partial shade and well-draining soil. It can grow up to 3-6 inches tall and flowers into four-petaled white blooms in masses in May month.
36. Chinese Astilbe
Botanical Name: Astilbe chinensis
Also known as the false goat’s beard, Chinese Astilbe produces fuzzy-looking flower spikes in the shades of pink, white, to red during early summer.
37. Siberian Bugloss
Botanical Name: Brunnera macrophylla
This shade garden plant has broad heart-shaped round green leaves covered in silver markings, the plant flowers in delicate, small, blue blooms during late spring.
38. Cheddar Pink
Botanical Name: Dianthus gratianopolitanus
Cheddar pink is a charming, finely textured variety of carnation – it creates a mat of small plants with opposite foliage about 1/4 inches wide and up to 2-6 inches long. It grows best in full sun and well-draining soil.
39. Barrenwort
Botanical Name: Epimedium hybrid
This perennial produces clusters of four-petaled lavender, pink, white, or yellow blooms in early spring; the leaves have a maroon tint at the edges.
40. Moneywort
Botanical Name: Lysimachia nummularia
This aggressive ground cover features small, round, opposite leaves on thin stems – it grows up to 2-4 inches tall when flowering in bright yellow blooms in summer.
41. Spotted Dog
Botanical Name: Pulmonaria
Also known as lungwort, its leaves have mottled, silvery spots. The plant becomes a foot tall when flowering with small pink, white, or lavender blooms in spring.
42. Coral Bells
Botanical Name: Heuchera sanguinea
Tiarella, Heaucharella, and Heuchera sanguine are a group that comes in the same segment in the landscape with partial shade and consistently moist soil.
Most of the varieties are appreciated for ornamental leaves and striking flower spikes in pink, red, and white shades.
Note: It grows relatively tall for a groundcover
43. Snow in Summer
Botanical Name: Cerastium tomentosum
This sun-loving ground cover shows off white flowers and silver leaves. It’s a short-living perennial in warm territories and needs good drainage for optimum growth.
44. European Wild Ginger
Botanical Name: Asarum europium
European wild ginger and wild ginger (Asarum canadense) are two fascinating ground cover plants with round, heart-shaped leaves on prostrate stems that creep beside the ground.
A.canadense has hairy foliage and stems, whereas A. europium features glossy foliage and stems. The flowers are tubular with pointy petals.
45. Mazus
Botanical Name: Mazus reptans
Mazus is a low-growing ground cover plant with small, delicate flowers that form a colorful carpet. It thrives in moist areas and spreads quickly with small white-purple flowers.
46. Irish Moss
Botanical Name: Sagina subulata
Irish Moss is a dense and moss-like ground cover plant that forms a cushiony carpet of tiny, emerald-green leaves. It produces small, white flowers.
47. Corsican Mint
Botanical Name: Mentha requienii
A delightful ground cover plant with tiny, round leaves that release a refreshing mint fragrance when stepped on or brushed against.
48. Blue Star Creeper
Botanical Name: Isotoma fluviatilis
The Blue Star Creeper is a charming ground cover with star-shaped, pale blue flowers that bloom profusely throughout the summer.
Love the ground covers. Where to purchase? In or near Wilm. DE.19805
Any good nursery should have most of them.
Would be nice if this article also had Latin names of the plants. Thank you.
Maybe you can look up the spanish version of the plant you are interested in on the internet. Good luck!
@ alba ” Spanish version ” has NOTHING to do with a LATIN version.
Oooh, snippy! I googled Spanish name for Lambs Ear and the Latin name for Lambs ear. guess what? They up the same! Stachys byzantina. Let’s be more tolerant, share information and our knowledge.
The use of large clear images here is a plus, but thumbs up to GrowInFlorida for suggesting including botanical names on a plant-related web site. Using common names is a terribly inaccurate way of “identifying” flora OR fauna. Sadly, even many nurseries and seed sellers are dumbing down their sites by only using common names and that bodes poorly for educating laypeople and novice gardeners.
Google for the Latin names.
I love ground cover flowers especially in the areas that I have trouble growing flowers.
Great article. Just what I needed to help me decide what to plant.
I have various campanula varieties, including the one in the above article. It’s the first season. They didn’t perform as I expected. I have read to cut back after flowering which I tried with one that I purchased in a large container from a non-greenhouse company. It didn’t take to being cut back. I had to place it in a pot in order for it to restablish. Which it did but not very good. Out of the 4-5 different varieties I had, blue waterfall performed the best. How many plants are needed to cover the amount of area in the above picture. I understand that perennials don’t perform to their full potential the first year. Although, mine barely flowered nor grew much. I had some in good soil and a few in sandy soil. Any suggestions on what I should do if they survive a Boston Winter and do you advise to trim back after flowering. If so, how should they be cut back. I found it difficult to cut these plants back.
I live in area labeled 6a ( ct)
I have a steep sandy bank in full sun
I want something that flowers grows
LOW to the ground so it looks presentable not like uncared for lawn
This bank is road side aprox. 90 yards long
Once planted I don’t want fuss w it much
Me too. I’m looking for something this will crowd out weeds, will spread & doesn’t require me to climb the bank to work the garden.
Live in phx, az. What are the best flowers to plant for spring?
Please include that most of these plants are very invasive.
IMG_7124.jpeg
Can anyone tell me what this is please?
You could definitely see your expertise in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.
Very nice! I were amazed by the beauty of moss rose yesterday in a Canadian Tire shop yesterday, but no one there was able to tell me what it is. After getting home, I started google hunting. Most lists of flowering ground cover don’t contain the moss rose, your list is the first one!
is a beautiful chartreuse color and grows well as a ground cover, climbing trellises, or spilling out of containers near the pool. Jenny can become a bit invasive, but since it is so pretty, color-loving gardeners are forgiving.
you need to do more research on many of these. anytime you read stuff like “This aggressive ground cover” or “the plant is quite invasive” or the plant has a foreign country in its name, you need to be wary. could mean non native or invasive, not friendly for pollinators or other plants. some on the list like Periwinkle is listed as invasive in many areas. not saying this isnt a good list, just buyer beware
you need to do more research on many of these. anytime you read stuff like “This aggressive ground cover” or “the plant is quite invasive” or the plant has a foreign country in its name, you need to be wary. could mean non native or invasive, not friendly for pollinators or to other plants. some on the list like Periwinkle is listed as invasive in many areas. not saying this isnt a good list, just buyer beware
Thank you 💕 for teaching me so much knowledge after reading your article about taking care of spring garden
I would have just loved if you had added the zones these lived in as perennials. Thank you so much for the list, though!
I love the lamium. I’ve seen it in yellow too.
Good information – how can i buy these?
Really? Try a garden centre.
Perplexing…at the animosity reflecting from the÷se comments . One would think- that a group of like-minded ( as far as gardeners) people would reveal a more positive dialog amongst ea other- rather than correcting mistakes, thus focusing upon negatives. This is not a research paper from a horticulture professor of a university. I believe the author is actually giving the audience of readers the benefit of a doubt- assuming we are basically interested in visual ideas for new ground covers. That being said, if the reader is interested in a plant…from there he will do his own research into the details ; scientific botanical ( Latin) name, conditions plant grows best in, geographical areas, its native country of origin…etc. Focus on the POSITIVE people! These are great colorful photos of beautiful ground covers – that inspire us, as gardeners- Much appreciated . Thankyou for sharing these blankets of beautiful ground covers. This has given me a spark of motivation – to begin transforming a grass lawn~into a carpet of color