Looking for a groundcover for a sunny spot? Maybe because the lawn isn’t holding up well or because it’s on a slope or is otherwise hard to mow… or simply because you really don’t want to mow anymore? Here is a list of plants you might find suitable:

1. ‘Angelina’ Sedum (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’), zone 3, FTR: none
2. Barren strawberry (Waldsteinia spp.), zone 4, FTR: poor
3. Barrenwort (Epimedium x rubrum), zone 3, FTR: none
4. Basket-of-gold (Aurinia saxatilis, syn. Alyssum saxtile), zone 3, FTR: none
5. Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), zone 2, FTR: moderate
6. Bearberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri), zone 5b, FTR: none
7. Bergenia (Bergenia crassifolia, syn. B. cordifolia), zone 2, FTR: none
8. Bigroot geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum), zone 3, FTR: none
9. Bird’s foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus ‘Pleniflorus’, syn. ‘Plenus’, zone 3, FTR: good
10. Bishop’s weed (Aegopodium podagraria ‘Variegatum’), zone 3, FTR: poor
11. Black mondo grass (Ophiopogon plansicapus ‘Nigrescens’), zone 7, FTR: none
    

    Bleeding-heart (Dicentra formosa). Photo: J Brew, Flickr

12. Bleeding-heart (Dicentra formosa and D. eximia), zone 3, FTR: none
13. Brass buttons (Leptinella squalida ‘Platt’s Black’), zone 4, FTR: good
14. Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans), zone 3, FTR: moderate
15. Cambridge geranium (Geranium x cantabrigiense), zone 3, FTR: none
16. Caucasian Sedum (Sedum spurium), zone 3, FTR: none
17. Creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis), zone 2, FTR: poor
18. Creeping speedwell (Veronica repens), zone 2, FTR: moderate
19. Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), zone 3, FTR: moderate
20. Crested iris (Iris cristata), zone 3, FTR: none
21. Crownvetch (Coronilla varia), zone 4, FTR: none
22. Cutleaf stephanandra (Stephanandra incisa ‘Crispa’), zone 3b, FTR: none
23. Dwarf knotweed (Persicaria affinis, syn. Polygonum affine), zone 3, FTR: moderate
    

    Faassen’s catnip (Nepeta x faassenii). Photo: Wouter Hagens, Wikimedia Commons

24. Faassen’s catnip (Nepeta x faassenii), zone 3, FTR: none
25. Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), zone 3, FTR: none
26. Goldenstar (Chrysogonum virginianum), zone 4, FTR: poor
27. Green carpet (Herniaria glabra), zone 4, FTR: good
28. Hairy greenweed (Genista pilosa), zone 5, FTR: poor
29. Heuchera (Heuchera cvs), zone 3, FTR: none
30. Hosta (Hosta cvs), zone 3, FTR: none
31. Houseleek (Sempervivum spp.), zone 3, FTR: none
32. Iceplant (Delosperma cooperi), zone 5b, FTR: poor
33. Ivy (Hedera helix and others), zone varies according to species and cultivar: 4-9, FTR: poor
    

    Kamchatka sedum (Sedum kamtschaticum ‘Weihenstephaner Gold’). Photo Maja Dumas, Wikimedia Commons

34. Kamchatka sedum (Sedum kamtschaticum), zone 3, FTR: none
35. Labrador violet (Viola riviniana ‘Purpurea’, syn. V. labradorica), zone 4, FTR: none
36. Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis), zone 3, FTR: none
37. Lamb’s-ears (Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’), zone 3, FTR: none
38. Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis), zone 3, FTR: none
39. Liriope (Liriope muscari), zone 6 ou 7, FTR: none
    

    Golden moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’). Photo: European Environment Agency

40. Moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia), zone 3, FTR: moderate
41. Moss phlox (Phlox subulata), zone 2, FTR: none
42. New Zealand burr (Acaena microphylla), zone 4b, FTR: poor
43. Oregano (Origanum vulgare), zone 4, FTR: none
44. Ornamental strawberry (Fragaria x rosea), zone 3, FTR: moderate
45. Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis), zone 4, FTR: none
46. Perennial dusty miller (Artemisia stelleriana ‘Boughton Silver’, syn. ‘Silver Brocade’), zone 3, FTR: none
47. Periwinkle (Vinca minor), zone 2b, FTR: moderate
48. Rozanne™ geranium (Geranium ‘Gerwat’), zone 4, FTR: none
49. Scotch moss (Sagina subulata glabrata ‘Aurea’), zone 3, FTR: moderate
50. Self-heal (Prunella grandiflora), zone 4, FTR: none
51. Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis), zone 3, FTR: none
    

    Siberian cypress (Microbiota decussata) forms a dense, weed-resistant groundcover. Photo: Crusier, Wikimedia Commons

52. Siberian cypress (Microbiota decussata), zone 3, FTR: none
53. Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum), zone 2, FTR: poor
54. Spotted dead-nettle (Lamium maculatum), zone 2, FTR: none
55. St. John’s wort (Hypericum calycinum), zone 6, FTR: none
56. Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), zone 3, FTR: none
57. Sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina), zone 2, FTR: none
58. White clover (Trifolium repens), zone 3, FTR: moderate
59. Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei), zone 5b, FTR: moderate
    

    Woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus) Ghislain118 (AD), http://www.fleurs-des-montagnes.net

60. Woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus), zone 3, FTR: moderate
61. Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon), zone 2, FTR: none

Keeping Them Under Control

Most groundcover plants are a bit to very invasive… and that’s normal, considering that we choose groundcovers specifically for their ability to cover ground. It does, however, mean that you should always plan on how you eventually intend to slow them down when they’ve filled up their allotted space and start looking for new territory. You could, for example, contain them with a walkway, paving stones, a short wall, logs, lawn edging or deep shade.

Groundcovers for Shade

If you are looking for suggestions of shade-tolerant groundcovers, see the article Groundcovers for Shade.