For a groundcover to make my list, it had to be drought-tolerant, hardy to zone 5, perennial, low maintenance, and a polite spreader.
Whether these groundcovers will be right in YOUR garden depends on your climate. These ground covers will do best in areas with a moderately dry summer with low humidity.
Want to watch instead? Check out my video on these groundcovers on YouTube.
Sagina subulata (Irish moss)
Full sun to part shade
Well draining moist soil
Zones 4-8
Native range: western and central Europe
I was initially uncertain about growing sagina subulata, having learned that this plant prefers well-draining, moist soil. That's actually the exact opposite of my garden. With reliable rain every other week and heavy, silt soil, I was concerned this plant wouldn't do well for me.
Not wanting to invest in plugs, I decided to grow sagina subulata from seed. That way if I ended up not liking the plant, no worries--nothing but time spent.
I found it to be very easy to propagate. I moist-cold stratified them with a damp paper towel in the fridge for a few months, then used some tweezers to place them on a seed bed (a tray of easily draining soil substrate, like coco choir.)
Sagina subulata quickly formed a dense mat in a few weeks and were ready for planting out before the last spring frost.
They prefer fun sun and moist, free draining soil. Knowing they wouldn't get moist or free draining soil, I decided to plant them low, protected places in part sun. The bit of protection seemed to do the trick, and the sagina subulata appears to be thriving.
Ajuga reptans Feathered Friends™ Cordial Canary
Feathered Friends™ Cordial Canary Ajuga
Half Sun / Half Shade, Full Shade
Medium
Native to Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia
Ajuga is reportedly a thug in moist climates. But in drier regions it is easier to manage than many other groundcovers. This is a somewhat new variety developed by Chris Hansen, and Cordial Canary seems to mostly propagate via stolens. It's been polite but vigorous in my garden, and it's already ready for division.
There aren't many low growing, full shade groundcovers hardy to zone 5, which makes a well-behaved ajuga worth the effort in my opinion.
Stachys Byzantina
Full Sun
Sun to Partial Shade
Zones 4-10
Native to the rocky hills of Turkey, Armenia, and Iran
Stachys byzantina Lamb's Ear is one of my favs.
It's drought-tolerant, pretty, and does a really good job of covering up spring bulbs when they are past blooming. It's actually one of the first perennials to green up for the year, peaking out as early as late March.
For a long time I thought lamb's ear was native to my region, and was disappointed to learn that it has escaped cultivation and naturalized in the Black Hills. Despite this fact, it does not appear on any "do not plant" registries that I'm aware of and is a staple in drought-tolerant perennial bed.
I'll continue to grow this wonderful plant unless it ever becomes a horticultural issue. Considering that stachys can grow in dry clay soil from full to part sun, I'd say it's worthy of any dry garden bed.
Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) Bearberry
Zone: 2 to 7
Full sun to part shade
Dry to medium
Native range is from Alaska south to Virginia, Illinois, Nebraska, and in the mountains from New Mexico north through California.
Bearberry makes for an interesting garden plant. It isn't exactly what you'd expect to find in most gardens, despite being so well suited to acting as a groundcover in the mountain west and high plains.
Growing to about 6" high, this evergreen perennial keeps its deep green foliage through winter. Bearberry looks particularly good under conifers and creeping along rock gardens, much like where you'd find it growing in its natural range.
You can find bearberry from a handful of specialty nurseries. Additionally you can transplant bearberry from private land with permission, but expect only about 50% of the plants to take. Slow to get established, this plant will eventually grow to be a thick, evergreen mat with strong woodland vibes.
Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'
Zone: 5 to 8
Full sun
Dry to medium
Native range: mountain areas in central and western Europe
Sedum 'Angelina' is a pretty, chartreuse groundcover that looks especially good next to blue fescue grass or blue-colored conifers.
It's a bit thirstier than many other sedums, so if you live in a desert climate, you may look to your native sedum varieties for a better alternative.
I used to think sedum 'Angelina' made an exceptional groundcover until I had an unusually long, cool spring. It left a gap in my garden in June after the spring bulbs were done flowering. While I still like this sedum, I don't think it will continue to be my groundcover of choice in areas that need a full season of coverage.
Teucrium aroanium (Gray Creeping Germander)
Zone 5-10
Full sun
Dry
Native to the Mediterranean region including Greece and northern Africa
Creeping germander is a new-to-me plant that I'm eager to watch grow. It's got a great color, almost resembling a flattened lavender.
We'll see how the germander does over the winter, as it might prefer to be further off the ground.
Mahonia repens (Creeping Oregon Grape)
USDA Zone 5
Native range from British Columbia to California and northern Mexico, eastward to the Rocky Mountains and in the Black Hill of South Dakota.
Mahonia repens is not to be confused with the invasive Asian variety. Mahonia repens is a slow growing, polite, creeping groundcover that is synonymous with the Rockies.
Creeping Oregon grape looks sharp to the touch, and while it is stiff, I wouldn't be afraid to plant it next to walkways. Actually, I think it looks best when its leaves are against a paver or stone pathway.
Zones 4-9
Full sun
Dry
Native to Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Thymus neiceffii
Zones 4-7
Full sun
Dry
Native range of this subspecies is Balkan Peninsula
Artemisia stelleriana Silver Brocade
Zones 3-8
Full sun
Dry soil
Native to Asia, far eastern Russia, western Canada, and Alaska's Aleutian Islands in the United States
Delosperma x 'Alan's Apricot' PPAF
Zones 4-10
Full sun
Dry soil
Native range: South Africa
Sempervivum tectorum
Zone: 3 to 8
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Native Range: Central Europe
Sedum × Sedoro 'Blue Elf’
Zone: 4 to 9
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Sedum acre 'Aureum'
Zones 3-9
Sun
Dry to medium
Sedum lime zinger
Zone: 4 to 9
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'
Zone: 4 to 8
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Native to France, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland.
Nigella damascena alba
Zone: 2 to 11
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Native to southern European and northern Africa
Antennaria
Zone: 3 to 8
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Native Range: North America
Native to dry fields, plains, slopes, grasslands, and open woodlands from Maine to Montana south to Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina
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